POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - It took thousands of hours of work and help from more than 100 volunteers, but five South Florida families were able to call themselves homeowners — with the help of Habitat for Humanity.
Saturday was an exciting day for Shawanna Cooper. She said the journey that ended with holding the keys to her brand-new home was worth the effort.
“This whole journey has been amazing,” she said. “It’s just been amazing just to know that my kids have their own backyard to play in.”
Cooper, her loved ones and four other families were able to walk into their houses in Pompano Beach and call them home sweet home.
All this was made possible thanks to the generosity of hardworking volunteers who said it was rewarding to see families entering their brand-new homes.
Four of the homes were sponsored by JM Family Enterprises. More than 170 volunteers worked with Habitat for Humanity of Broward as they painted and worked on roofing and landscaping to help build these dream homes.
“[These are the] 32nd, 33rd, 34th and 35th houses that we’ve done in last 16 years,” said JM Family Enterprises President Brent Burns. “Habitat is a great organization, and what a fantastic way to give back to the community that we live and work in.”
Cooper told 7News she’s grateful for the opportunity. “Habitat is a foundation, and without them none of this would have been possible,” she said.
But Robert Taylor, the chair of Habitat for Humanity of Broward, said she and the other homeowners certainly earned it.
“Every one of them has worked very, very hard to get to these homes,” he said. “These homes aren’t given away. They earn them. They have to qualify, they have to give 300 hours of work. Then they have to continue to take classes of home ownership and finances, and then finally they’re presented with a home that they’ve earned their way into, and then they purchase it. So it’s an extended process.”
WSVN is a proud community sponsor of Habitat for Humanity. If you’d like to contact Habitat, check out the links below:
Habitat for Humanity of Broward
(954) 396-3030
www.habitatbroward.org
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami
(305) 634-3628
www.miamihabitat.org
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