By David Harry

Staff Writer

Time-honored toy blocks helped more than 100 builders raise money Saturday to finish a Westbrook family’s new home.

The fourth annual Youth Can Build Lego House Buildathon, held in the center court at Maine Mall, drew an estimated 35 teams and raised about $3,500 for the Greater Portland Habitat for Humanity, said Stefanie Millette.

Millette, education and special project coordinator for the chapter, said the organization will use the money to complete the home for Danine Brown and her three children.

The event was bolstered by a strong crowd of walk-up registrants, Millette said.

“We had to turn some teams away, which made us sad,” she said.

This was the first time the event was held in the winter, and Millette said Lego builders helped surpass the $2,000 goal.

Participants built structures with 500 hard plastic multi-colored pieces that snap together and were allowed to swap pieces kept in bins. There were no other requirements on what and how to build.

Joan Dollarhite, who brought her 5-year-old son, Tommy, to the event, said the blocks are a favorite at home for both of them.

“They are not just a sit and watch it thing and the combinations change every day,” she said as Tommy eyed the best use of blocks for his creation.

Several teams from the First Congregational Church in Scarborough signed up, including the Kung Fu Lego Ladies team of Amelia Levesque and Mara McDonough, both 12, and Morgan Jackson and Gabrielle Lean, both 11.

The quartet built a beach house that showed how the blocks have evolved since they were first introduced more than 50 years ago – Lego shrubs are now available to enhance landscapes.

Several tables away, Matthew Hafener, 7, of Portland, built his trophy-winning Half-pipe for Humanity, a skate park and tower used by Lego skate and snowboarders. His father, Eric, said they made a quick decision to join the event. 

 “We saw about it this morning and showed up,” he said.

Building was a family affair at another table for Jeff Hanselmann, his wife, Ayn, their son Stephen and daughters Caiti and Elaina, who drove up from Sanford after registering online. Jeff Hanselmann said the family raised about $300 in pledges for Habitat for Humanity in addition to the $20 registration fee.

The organization builds homes through volunteer efforts and donations. Homeowners are given a 30-year, low-interest mortgage through Habitat for Humanity. The Greater Portland chapter has built more than 50 homes in 25 years, Millette said.

For almost an hour during the event, the Portland Middle School Orchestra provided music. Joining Hafener as a trophy winner were a team from the First Congregational Church of Scarborough Youth Ministry, the Builder Club of Memorial Middle School in South Portland, the Killer Cupcakes from St. Brigid’s School in Portland, Tristan Ward, Ben Delong, the Infantine family, Keegan Haley and Hunter Brown, and Team Krikken Lidrahzah.

Members of the New England Lego Users Group were on hand and showed off elaborate homes and urban scenes that included an electric train circling a downtown landscape.

Millette said the buildathon is fairly unique to the Greater Portland Habitat for Humanity chapter. She estimated one or two other chapters hold similar events. 

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.