FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A welcome home ceremony was held, Thursday, for families who received keys to their new homes thanks to Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity built homes for two Broward families in need, the Askins-Benefield and Coney families. The “welcome home” celebration was held, Thursday morning.
“It’s amazing,” said Alton Benefield. “It’s like a dream come true.”
For Benefield and his wife, Tenisha, it’s also the start of a legacy they have wanted to fulfill for their five kids ever since they got married.
“It’s something we can say we checked off our list, and our children will always have a place to call theirs,” said Tenisha. “They’ll have their own rooms. When they go off to college, become adults and come back, they can always say I’m coming home.”
They added that seeing the house being built up from the foundation to the finishing touches with habitat for humanity gives them an even bigger sense of pride.
Casey Coney shares these feelings for her own family. She will be living in her new home with her three daughters and mother, who was also a single mother and raised Casey on her own.
“Now I have three daughters and, being a single mother and having a home now, it’s something I can leave to them and show them that you can do it no matter what,” said Coney. “Throughout everything, you can make it.”
For over a year, these families have watched their dreams become a reality.
Wells Fargo’s Learning and Development Specialist Cynthia Martin praised the families. “We are doing a home dedication to a family that has really taken the time to do the sweat equity hours and to get the dream of a lifetime.”
“We always find ways to give back and there’s no better pride or bigger pride than home ownership,” said Marine Industries of South Florida’s CEO Executive Director Philip Purcell.
There are still a few more steps before the move-in day is officially marked on the calendar. However, the expectation is that the families will be inside before the end of the year.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.