VALDOSTA — Two families received an early Christmas present Monday.
Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity officials turned over the keys to homes located on Troup Street and Webster Street to their respective families.
Monica King took ownership of the yellow house at 408 Webster St. Monday morning but doesn’t plan to move in until after Christmas.
King found out about Habitat for Humanity through a co-worker at Wal-Mart.
Last February, King said she attended an informational meeting about Habitat and filled out paperwork. Two weeks later, she was notified that she had been chosen to receive a house.
That’s when King started working toward her house, donating volunteer hours to help build other Habitat for Humanity homes — a job commonly called “sweat equity.”
Though the construction work was a new experience and a daunting task for King, she enjoyed the camaraderie and meeting all the people who volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
King said she learned how to set up foundation walls and put in windows and plans to continue to volunteer through Habitat.
“The fun we had made the whole day go by fast,” King said.
The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms and two baths.
Working in the home furnishings department at Wal-Mart has King prepared for the thing she is most looking forward to — decorating her new home for herself and her two daughters.
King’s home was built through Building on Faith, a movement within Habitat that brought together 15 area churches to build two homes in a week. Construction on the homes started Nov. 15.
More than 300 people worked to get the job done in a timely fashion, Stewart Mullis, Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity executive director, said.
The home is the fifth Energy Star home built in Valdosta by Habitat, he said.
The energy efficient home will help reduce the cost of the electric bill for the family.
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. The goal of the organization is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world.
Since 1976 Habitat for Humanity has constructed more than 300,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.5 million people with safe, decent, affordable shelter.
Habitat builds homes through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials. The homes are then sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans. Partner families are required to invest hundreds of hours of sweat equity into their home and others to be eligible for a home.
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Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity executive director Stuart Mullis presents Monica King and her children, Jamira, 11 months, and Shamara, 3, with the key to the new home (background) she will be moving into after Christmas.
Discussion
A home for the holidays
Two families receive keys to Habitat for Humanity homes
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