Family Stories
“To someone who’s never had a home of their own before, a key is precious metal. It opens more than just a door; it opens up a whole new way of life. That’s why Habitat for Humanity is so close to my heart. Everyone deserves a decent, affordable home, and together we can make that happen,” Reba McEntire, singer.
Read below to learn about some of the members of our Habitat family!
Family photos generously donated by Guy Atchley.
2011/2012 Homeowner Selection
The Allen Family
The Allen family is ready for the American dream! When Bernadette received the phone call that her family was going to own a Habitat home, she said she was jumping and screaming with the kids. She called her husband Jon to share the good news and he was in disbelief.
Jon said, “We always felt like we couldn’t get ahead. We don’t ever get picked for anything.”
Click here to read their story
The Bashikire Family
Pierre and his wife Clothilde brought their two youngest daughters to Tucson in 2007 after fleeing conflicts in three
different countries for more than thirty years.
“We left our home in Burundi when war came in 1973. We lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania. War came to Tanzania so we moved to Rwanda. When the ethnic cleansing began in Rwanda, we fled back to Tanzania.”
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The Parker Family
Autumn Parker and her husband William are very excited about the opportunity to own their own home. Despite having a lot on her plate, she is determined to complete her sweat equity as soon as possible so she can concentrate on saving for her down payment and attending the homeowner classes
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2010/2011 Homeowner Selection
The Beltran Family
February 11, 2011 marks Gina’s ninth anniversary working as a
network associate for Carondelet. She started as a registration clerk and now works as an Office Coordinator in the Diabetes Center, and she loves her job.
“I want to go to work. I love doing what I do. I’m pretty lucky,” she said with a huge smile.
In fact it was her work that brought her to Habitat.
Click here to read their story
The Vargas Family
Lupita and her son Daniel had a brief taste of homeownership once, many years ago. Lupita was married then and she and her husband purchased a home. Shortly after, when her marriage ‘came to a screeching halt’, as she put it, she and her son had to give up their dream.
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The Cichy Family
Alyson found Habitat through New Beginnings where she was living in recovery-based transitional housing with her daughter, Jennie.
“I’ve always lived in an apartment complex with case management,” she said. “This is our first time living alone, paying rent…But all this time in transitional living has made me a strong, independent woman. I’m okay with just me and Jennie being together.”
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The Gieselmann Family
Kristen’s lucky number is 11. She was born on the 11th and each of her three kids, Kaitlynn, Dillon and Trinity, were born in November. So, it’s only fitting that it was on an 11th day that her co-worker brought her a newspaper article about a Habitat family and encouraged her to look into it.
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The Gamez Family
Sandra Gamez and her mother, Magdalena, also known as “Nana,” came to the United States from Cananea, Mexico when Sandra was just a little girl. They have been in Tucson for more than 24 years.
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The Machado Family
Yolanda Machado calls herself an emotional person. “I cry at everything,” she says. So, it’s no surprise that she cried the day she found out her family had been approved for a Habitat house.
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2009/2010 Homeowner Selection
The Abdullahi Family
Abdi and Salama Abdullahi and their children, Abdukadir, 8, and Alikaf, 5 are refugees from Somalia. They were brought to the United States on March 18, 2004, on war leave by the United Nations…
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The Babuca Family
Lourdes Babuca and her son Michael, 16, have been through a lot. From living in an abusive home, to a shelter in Phoenix…
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2008/2009 Selection
These stories are of the qualified Habitat families selected for homes in 2008/2009. Read below to learn how they felt when selected and to see photos from their home dedications.
Professional photos generously contributed by Diane Graham.
Darlene Brent
The Brent home just got a lot more crowded. Recently, when Darlene’s cousin fell on hard times, Darlene became the temporary guardian for her three children, Heaven, Nevaeh and Isaiah, ages 18 months to 9 years old….
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The Helm Family
“Dreams can really come true. Thanks again for giving us a chance to make our dreams come true,” Tony Helm, Habitat homeowner
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Terri Figueroa
We’ve all had a bad day at work, but they don’t usually end the way Terri’s did when she found out her dream of owning a home would come true…
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Claudia Acosta
Claudia can’t wait to move into her new Habitat for Humanity home. She can’t wait for her daughters, Dafnhe and Dailea, to each have their own room in a house they own instead of the one-bedroom apartment they all share now. She can’t wait to decorate and she especially can’t wait to be only blocks from her big sister, Orfalidia, who moved into her Habitat home in June 2008…
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Rosa McFeaters
Rosa McFeaters thought that with her lack of credit, owning a home was out of reach. Until, one day, she saw an article in the newspaper about Habitat for Humanity. She said she clipped that article and held onto it, and dreamed….
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