In a few weeks we will be celebrating the completion of Melissa Carter’s new home in Buena Vista. During the dedication ceremony the keys to the house will be passed from a Rockbridge Area Habitat representative to Melissa, marking the beginning of her life as a homeowner.
The story of Melissa and her 7-year-old daughter, Ciesha, is a particularly compelling one. Ciesha, nicknamed “Ci,” has a number of health issues, including autism and asthma. Melissa and Ci share an apartment in Lexington, but since Ci’s birth, Melissa has dreamt of owning a warm, comfortable home of their own. Keeping Ci warm is crucial because her asthma symptoms worsen in cold weather.
Melissa first applied with Habitat in 2007, but our Family Services Committee deemed her not ready for homeownership. Rather than giving up on her dream, Melissa entered a church-sponsored mentoring program that worked with her to improve her credit, secure a full time job, and budget her income. With the encouragement of her mentor, Melissa worked hard to correct her credit and straighten out her finances. Her hard work at KFC was rewarded when she earned a fulltime position and was promoted to Shift Manager.
In 2010, Melissa reapplied with Habitat and was accepted into the program. Since then she has steadily worked to help build her home, and she and her family will have contributed at least 350 hours of sweat equity by the time the house is completed. Her manager at KFC was right when she said recently that Melissa is “hardworking and a joy. She always takes the initiative. She deserves this house. You won’t find many like her.”
Melissa’s mentor says her confidence level has gone through the roof. “She is a different person today. Before she was afraid to make goals and plan for the future, but now she sees that her efforts do pay off. She worked so hard for this house and now that it’s almost completed, she sees that the sky’s the limit.”
Congratulations, Melissa for your many successes!
