Home For The Holidays

Home For The Holidays

This time of year often leads to reflection. Between Spotify wrapped, best of 2023 lists, and more, it got us thinking about all of the amazing moments we’ve shared with homeowners, volunteers, and supporters over the past 12 months.

16 homeowners already closed on their homes this year, with another four anticipated to close before the ball drops on New Years. That’s 20 families who’ll experience the joy of the holidays in their own homes for the first time. This wouldn’t be possible without the collective efforts of so many, all coming together to make that dream of homeownership come true. On behalf of these families, as well as the 62 families who partnered with us on critical home repairs this year, thank you.

To celebrate, we’re looking back on one of those homeowners who’s spending her first holiday season in the warmth of her brand new Habitat home this year.

Aquaries and her teenage son, Donovan, celebrated the closing of their brand new home in June. During her home dedication, Aquaries – from the living room of her new home – recalled the hard work it’d taken to get to where she was that day.

“Building the house was an experience in itself. I showed my child that when there’s things that you want, you have work hard for them,” said Aquaries. “I knew it was going to be a challenge because I work six days a week. So, I knew that the day I had off, I had to dedicate that to building not just mine, but {my future neighbors’} house as well…And I would just tell my son, ‘I’m going to go off and build our house now.'”

On the day they moved in, Aquaries’ son Donovan turned to her reflecting on the home she’d built.

“The first day he actually walked into the house he told me, ‘Mom, I really like this house. It feels really good.'” she continued. “And to have him say that felt great. You know, he felt safe and it felt like a home for him. This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to make this a home for him. All of this has been a blessing.”

When Aquaries first qualified to become a Habitat homeowner, she told us: “I want something for my son to see that if I have the confidence to do this, that so can he.”

With a lot of hard work, and this community’s support behind her, Aquaries has done just that. This holiday season, she and Donovan will be surrounded by walls already teaming with memories of hanging drywall, rolling paint, and bonds built around this amazing mission. We’re so excited for the cherished memories they’ll create within those walls for years to come.