“The finish line” is how Lakeisha Wilson described the moment she was handed the keys to her first home in Dayton, Ohio, according to WHIO. Wilson, a school bus driver and the mother of two daughters, earned the house through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton by logging more than 350 volunteer hours. The ceremony took place on a Friday afternoon, just ahead of the holiday season.
A Key Ceremony With Her Daughters Beside Her
WHIO reported that Wilson celebrated with community members, partners and her two daughters. Ellen Miller, vice president of community relations at the CareSource Foundation, handed over the keys.
Her 3-year-old daughter wasted no time making the place her own. The little girl started decorating her new bedroom with a teddy bear that CareSource gave the family, WHIO said.
Wilson told the station she put in the work for more than herself. She said she worked hard for her daughters, and that the house is “theirs as much as it is mine.” She and the girls will spend the holiday season in the new home.
What 350 Hours of Volunteering Gets a Family
Habitat does not hand out houses. Habitat for Humanity International says selected homebuyers help build their own home or other homes in the program, and the work can also include homeownership classes or time at a Habitat ReStore. Buyers then pay an affordable mortgage, which is capped at 30 percent of their gross monthly income at closing…