|
3701 Hillsboro Rd Tel: (615) 297-7562 Serving as God's hands on Earth. Founded in 1993
|
|
Families
|
| 2008 Unity Build | |
|
Habitat Partner Family Jameson Nyapal and Pasquina Nykwach "America is a good place. You can live in a place with light and running water, have a car and children’s toys – these things cannot be had in Africa." Jameson and his wife Pasquina are refugees from Sudan. Jameson was born into the Shilluk tribe and left his family
at age 14 to seek safety in Ethiopia from the war in his home country. He spent
time in Kenya going to school and in 1995 he moved to a
The small two-bedroom apartment the family shares showed signs of wear, tear, and neglect by their landlord. The home was very neat and clean, thanks to Pasquina, but there are many problems which affect their daily lives and well-being. The family heard about Habitat from Hanna Abebe, a Providence Park homeowner who attends school with Jameson at Nashville Tech where he is studying business administration. When asked what a new home would mean to them, Jameson said that he had been living in the U.S. and paying rent for 12 years with nothing to show for it. Pasquina grinned and said "no bugs" – she very much wants a house that is clean and safe for their children. When asked what the first thing he would do in his new home, Jameson replied, "I will pay the mortgage. I will make sure I have enough work to pay my bills". Pasquina stated that she will "relax" and hopes Jameson will not have to work so hard. He works two full-time jobs for Preferred Alternatives and PRN for EBI care as a caregiver. Pasquina wants to finish high school and will eventually study to become a social worker. Education is very important to this family. Jameson and Pasquina want Habitat and its partners to know that their family is "responsible and will not be a problem in the neighborhood." Jameson says that they are a very good family and that they will work hard to keep the Timberwood neighborhood strong. |
|
|
|
|
|
2007 Unity Build |
|
|
Habitat Partner Family Ramona Hamilton
Ramona has a smile that lights up any room.
She grew up in a very loving family in east Nashville and graduated from Hume-Fogg
High School where she sang in the chorus as well as in her church choir.
Ramona has one daughter, Trissa, who is a
16-year-old junior at Maplewood. Trissa is a typical teenager; her favorite
activities are
Ramona has worked at the Metro Board of Education in the Custodial Operations Department for the past seven years. She is delighted to be moving from her current house because it is very small and the neighborhood is not safe. When she was a young girl she remembers her father always telling the kids to own your own home. Her parents have lived in the same home for 40 years and Ramona looks forward to that same kind of stability for Trissa. Ramona is hopeful that once they move into their new home, she can go back to school and start training for a whole new career. She also plans for Trissa to attend college. Ramona wants her sponsors to know how much she appreciates their support and time to help her build a new home. She says, “A home means having your own and my father believed that was the best thing for a person. It is something to enjoy and pass on to my daughter. A home is a sound investment.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Unity Build | |
|
"2006 Unity Build Family: Antoinette Crowell and her family, Ashonte (17), Roosevelt (14) and Porshia (11).
| |
|
Antoinette Crowell Antoinette is the strong single mother of a 17-year-old daughter, Ashonte, and has been the legal guardian of her nephew, Roosevelt, 14, and her niece, Porshia, 11 for almost seven years. Originally from Nashville, she attended high school at Maplewood then studied to become a Certified Nurse Assistant. The youngest of five sisters and two brothers, Antoinette also has a twin brother, Antonio. Antoinette remembers her childhood as being a tough time and she lived with her aunt for a while. Having a child at 15 was also an experience that taught her a great deal. “When you have your own, you take care of it,” she says. Antoinette has been employed by Green Hills Health and Rehabilitation since 2004. She began as a Certified Nurse Assistant, but moved up to Restorative Technician where she helps people in rehab with daily life activities such as walking and dining. She hopes to return to school and study physical therapy eventually becoming a physical therapist. Antoinette and the kids enjoy all different kinds of activities such as playing games like Monopoly, bowling, and going to Chuck E. Cheese. They are all looking forward to having a new home through Habitat. Currently, they live in East Nashville on a busy street where drugs and prostitution are common. They even have gophers and rats in the basement! Antoinette only lets the kids go out to play when they are under supervision, but mostly they all either stay inside the house or go somewhere away from the neighborhood. Antoinette has known she has wanted a house “forever.” Ever since she stayed with her aunt while growing up, she’s known she wanted a home of her own. She considered different types of homeownership programs, but when she heard about Habitat through a Section 8 worker, she knew it was for her. “Having to build your own home – that’s what got me,” she says. This home means peace and happiness for her family and their future holds so many things such as a better life in a great neighborhood. Her favorite memory of the Habitat process so far is the “hard work.” As part of the Unity Build, she knows there will be many people involved and she would like to start by saying, “Thank you so much! There is a heaven!” With a quiet dignity, she goes on to say, “Without Habitat and the sponsors, I don’t know where I’d be.”
| |
|
2005 Unity Build | |
|
Click here for a rendering of the house and floor plan
|
Partner Family: Pamela Sabb
NAHFH House #xxx Unity Build #13 Volunteer Cost $47,500 Oct. 1 - Oct 29, 2005 The Sabb’s are a family vibrant and full of life. Pamela is the mother of two energetic children; daughter, Kelondra, 11, and son, Michael, 9. Pamela is originally from Cheatam County/ Ashland City, Tennessee, but has moved around quite a bit. As a young child, Pamela lived in a three bedroom home with her two brothers and her mother and father. Their three bedroom house did not have any plumbing and Pamela’s family had to use an outhouse and any other resources they could find to make do. Pamela remembers going to her grandmother’s house on the weekends to bathe. When Pamela was in the third grade her family moved frequently, never truly having a real home until finally moving to Nashville. As an adult, Pamela had done what she is familiar with and has continued to move every year. She feels bad for her children and no longer wants to put them through instability, which is why she applied to the Habitat program. Pamela has worked for Metro Housing for three years as the maintenance office secretary. Pamela and her children live in public housing in East Nashville. Her current housing situation consists of a run down apartment with bad neighbors, too much “traffic”, and a lack of security. Pamela would like to go outside and play with Kelondra and Michael but the neighborhood is too dangerous. Despite the current housing situation, Pamela enjoys going to the movies, fishing, and spending time with her children. Pamela’s dream has been to own a home where she could settle down. So, when she saw a Habitat for Humanity commercial on television, she saw a great opportunity to provide stability for her family. Pamela chose to apply to Habitat after researching housing agencies and found that Habitat was the best suited for her and her family. When Pamela found out that she and her family were getting a house, she screamed “Oh my God” in excitement. Kelondra says that getting a house makes her feel “mushy” and Michael says that it’s just “fine.” Pamela says that once she is in her house, the first thing she will do is “lay down and feel the carpet.” Now that the Sabbs are well into the process and their build is getting closer, Pamela sees a solid future and her dreams coming true. Pamela would recommend Habitat to any one who is interested because “Habitat guides you, everything is upfront and you will learn a lot.” For those who are thinking about volunteering for Habitat, Pamela says, “Come and help.” Pamela’s best experience so far has been the positive attitudes of the volunteers while at the build site. “Knowing that I’ve worked for a home, that I helped” will make the biggest difference in Pamela’s life. Pamela’s mother has been Pamela’s backbone throughout this process and in life. Pamela would like for her sponsors to know that her family is open, down to earth, quiet, and an average family who believes in sticking together.” Pamela would like to tell her sponsors “For you to have such an open heart that will make you be so open to help people like me means a lot. I want to thank you ten fold.” Kelondra would like for her sponsors to know that they are appreciated.
|
refugee
camp in Somalia because he heard it was a way to get to America. With assistance
from Catholic Charities, he arrived in Nashville later that year. Meanwhile, as
a teenager, Pasquina had fled to Egypt with her family. She became acquainted
with Jameson from a distance through extended family members. They met for the
first time in 2002 and immediately married. Jameson spent the next five years
working on Pasquina’s entry to the U.S. She arrived in 2004 and they now have
two sons; Pocjowk (18 months) and Diilg (3 months). Jameson is a U.S. citizen
and Pasquina is also working on citizenship. 
|
2003 Unity Build | |
|
Click photo above for larger view Click here for a 8 x 10 printable version (large file that may take several minutes to load)
Click here for a rendering of the house and floor plan
|
Partner Family: Sylvia McCutcheon
NAHFH House #205 Unity Build #12 Volunteer Cost $45,000 Sept 17 - Oct 10, 2004 Sylvia has a 12-year-old daughter, Tranesia Adams.
Tranesia attends Brick Church Elementary School. Since 1995, Sylvia has worked
as a cashier and cook at the BellSouth Building Cafeteria, which is managed by
Eurest Dining Service. Sylvia reports water damage in her apartment and that her apartment has been broken into recently, as have others in her neighborhood. She receives an occasional knock (with no one there) on her bedroom window that frighten her and she comments that it is difficult to sleep as there are neighbors who play loud music all night long. Sylvia learned of the program from a friend, Mitchell Walton, who is a recent Habitat homeowner. She would like her daughter to grow up in a safe environment and the Habitat program makes this possible. Sylvia is eager to help build her house and help other families at the build site.
|
|
2003 Unity Build | |
|
Click on home for larger view |
NAHFH House# 178 Unity Build# 11 Volunteer Cost $40,000 Sept 2003 Rose Wright is a native of Nashville, and the oldest of ten children in her family. She heard about the Habitat Program from her friend, Renetta Stevenson, who ownes a Habitat home. Renetta encouraged her to fill out an application to the program. Rose has legal custody of her grandson, Michael. They were living in a one-bedroom apartment off Dickerson Road where Rose slept in the living room and gave the bedroom to Michael. The apartment complex was dangerous, with drug activity and crime plaguing the area. In order to save money for closing cost and other expenses, Rose has moved in with her daughter. While conditions may be crowded, you'll never hear her complain. She is too busy giving thanks for the new home she will soon have through Habitat for Humanity. |
|
Click on home for larger view |
NAHFH House # 177 Unity Build# 10 Volunteer Cost $40,000 Sept. 2003 Carolyn Currie, a native Nashvillian, has two children, a daughter Cashauna age 7, and a son Jaquan age 3. She first heard about the Habitat program from someone who used to live in her apartment complex. Her friend had found hope and a new life when she earned her own Habitat home. She encouraged Carolyn to apply for the program. She was thrilled to learn she was accepted and could begin working on her "sweat equity" hours. Carolyn describes herself as a "shy person" who loves to cook and who wants her children to have a safe, bright future. She has worked as a dietary technician at Bordeaux Hospital for three years, and her family attends the Foster Avenue Church of Christ in south Nashville. Carolyn says the best part of the Habitat program has been working on the job site earning her "sweat equity" hours. She loves meeting people and learning new skills. She wants her sponsors to know how very grateful she is for the opportunity to work with them for a dream she didn't think possible - owning her own home.
|
|
Chronological list of builds: | |
|
September/October 2004 – Providence Park: (Rainwood Subdivision) September/October 2003 – 3326A Masonwood Dr :- Rose Wright 3326B Masonwood Dr : Carolyn Currie
NAHFH# 158 Unity Build # 9 Exit 155 (Briley Pkwy/Brick Church Pike); Bear right from the ramp & then immediately take the Brick Church Pike exit. Turn right onto Brick Church Pike Go ½ mile to Chesapeake Drive Turn right on Woodstock (2nd right off Chesapeake) (Rainwood Subdivision)
| |
|
| |
|
Aug 1995 JoAnne Egbunine 1206 Avondale Circle NAHFH# 48 Unity Build# 3 | |
|
Oct 1994 Marva Sawyers 1705 Sharp Avenue NAHFH# 31 Unity Build# 2 | |
|
Oct. 1994 Pring & Nara Chan Nhep 406 Chapel Avenue NAHFH# 29 Unity Build# 1 Volunteer Cost $28,000 | |
|
|