About 15 years ago, a group of women decided they had had enough of asking their husbands to repair leaky faucets, change light bulbs or fix falling plaster.

Single women like Stephanie Brown said they were tired of being ripped off and overcharged by repairmen.

Those issues, along with a desire to do something about affordable housing, were the foundation for the beginning of Women's Research and Development Center.

"I took the six-week home repair course and now I can fix leaky faucets, do drywalls and I don't have to call a plumber when the toilet will not flush," Brown said.

Brown has since enrolled granddaughters Aisa, 15, and Shanae, 10, and adopted daughters Megan, 11, and Letisha, 15, in the course.

Janice Urbanik, a volunteer and home repair instructor, said not only have they been able to teach home repairs, but have shown women that they can be plumbers, electricians and plasterers and learn many other trade skills.

"Our trainers are all experienced tradeswomen or engineers," Urbanik said.

Last year, the name was changed to Women Developing Communities.

The group has expanded its mission of providing affordable housing with such projects as the St. Anthony Village Phase One, 22 units of mixed-income rental housing in five renovated historic building in Over-the-Rhine; a Renter Equity program at St. Anthony, where tenants can earn $10,000 in equity; and completion of Chase Commons, a 34-unit, mixed-income housing project with lease-purchasing opportunity to provide urban homeownership.

The longstanding family tradition of quilting will be recognized at the Loveland Branch Library during May.

It starts with an exhibition of quilts and an open house from 10 a.m. to noon May 3 for quilters and their guests.

A feature of the exhibition will be Barbara Harrison's quilt "Winter Night," which was featured in Quilter's Newsletter magazine's Quilt It for Christmas last year.

Ohio's first community health center in Lincoln Heights hoisted the final beam for the new Lincoln Heights Health Center last week, with autographs by employees and friends, including 92-year-old Fanella Smith, the board's first president.

Dolores Lindsay, founder and first chief executive officer, said 100,000 residents of northern Hamilton County have counted on Lincoln Heights Health Center and its satellites for comprehensive medical and dental care regardless of their income level or insurance status.

"This event welds in every sense of the word our commitment to assuring that under-insured and uninsured persons receive the same access to quality health care that fully insured persons receive," Lindsay said. The new center is at 1401 Mangham Drive.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News'' column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.