New Katie's House opens

By Laurie Gordon
STILLWATER — On Sunday, a one-of-a-kind house was debuted to the public as the Show House for Katie's House drew people from all over the area to display what had been done there in just four weeks on an $8,000 budget. The home, located on Ridge Road in Stillwater, will house three developmentally disabled women and their live-in care giver, giving Katie Dudziec (for whom the non-profit was named), as well as Kate Kamerzel and Jenny Barkhom, a chance at independent living.
“People couldn't believe and were overwhelmed at how much we'd accomplished in such a short time on our budget,” said the volunteer project manager and designer, Heidi Mountford. “They were amazed at how the collaborative effort of so many people had come together,”
Other designers who volunteered their time and effort were Holly George and Natalie Fisher Gooding. Evelyn Dudziac, Katie's mother and the founder and volunteer executive director of the Katie's House non-profit, said that there were so many people to thank. She made special mention of Lowe's and Home Depot of Newton, Alpine Painting, Todd Kuiper, Teri Rozek Dobies, Bob Dobies, Jay Herman, Frank Light, Brett Dudziac, Mandy Major, Gasper Major, Glenn Dudziec, Cherise Lynn and all of the many, many volunteers who came out to help. Dudziac's daughter, Tracie de Waal was hugely instrumental, free-hand painting in the home and helping in countless ways.
“People who didn't know about Katie's House were informed, and we even had a neighbor come and offer snow blowing services,” de Waal said. “Visitors also left with a sense of inspiration for their own homes.”
De Waal and her husband, Andre, who own Andre's Lakeside Dining, in Sparta, provided boxed lunches for the fundraiser.
The home's decorators designed each of the girls' room to suit her individual style and integrated such things as a butterfly chandelier, a canopy and for the rec room, a 50's style table and cartoon painted on the wall.
Katie’s House is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization that provides independent housing, activities and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is the non-profit's third home, and each is more than just physical living space: they are true homes and safe havens for some remarkable adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Katie's father, Conrad Dudziec, said, “The ideas these designers came up with are just incredible and how people volunteered their time to make this come together is amazing.”
Mountford added, "People from all different professions and all walks of life just came out of the woodwork to make this project happen. It was an amazing collaboration of people volunteering what they could do or provide that you don't often see."