Community comes together to build group home in Ronan

Several dozen volunteers were swarming the building site for Jake's House during the second weekend of August, carrying boards, sweeping concrete, putting in floor joists, wheeling equipment about and installing a subfloor.

Other volunteers, such as teacher Autumn Adams, were manning the kitchen, planning snacks and meals, making lemonade and wiping off tables. Adams said community members had been so generous – dropping off food, providing donations and visiting the site to help for a couple of hours. 

The building site is on Jake Janssen Lane in Ronan and is a memorial for Jake, an autistic man, son of Rich and Julie Janssen and brother of Jenna Janssen. He died April 5, 2023, at age 28.