Claudia, her sister Rosie, and daughter Karen were renting a two-bedroom, garden-level apartment on a busy street. There was no backyard in which to play, unsafe sidewalks to ride bikes and lots of transient people walking by on the streets or loitering in the alleys. The apartment had many cracks in the walls and near the windows causing cold air to leak in and moisture to fill the cracks. The floor took on water whenever it rained. Claudia put plastic wrap under all their furniture to try and protect against water damage. The bathroom had large spots of mold and worsened due to the shower exhaust fan not working properly. Summertime brought ants and bugs into the apartment to the point that no food could be left on counters or in cupboards. Claudia wanted a safe neighborhood for the girls to play, a yard to spend time together and peace of mind knowing they were safe. For Rosie and Karen - they wanted separate rooms so they could play with their friends and have a quiet place to study and read. Both express interest in becoming teachers. And for fun, maybe a basketball hoop! On Saturday, March 11, 2017, Claudia's dreams started to become reality, as we gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony on her future home, our 150th home build. Joined by our closest friends, supporters, construction volunteers, current and former board members, neighbors, and Habitat homeowners. We celebrated this special milestone achievable through thousands of hours of volunteer labor and generous donations. As we gathered on what would become Claudia’s front lawn, attendees rejoiced in the blessings we’ve seen as an organization over the past 29 years with the voices of the Lincoln Continentals, an acapella group, singing praises of thanks. The program was comprised of special guests including Lt. Governor Foley, Mayor Beutler, former executive director Michelle Williamson, then board president Lanny Nissen, and Claudia, Karen and Rosie. Together, shovels turned over dirt, marking the beginning of a future full of opportunity. The lot for Build #150 was sold to Habitat Lincoln by the owners, Lois Watts and her late husband, Darrell. For many years, they used the lot as a large garden; bringing an abundance of life and prosperity in the form of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. No longer able to continue a large garden, Darrell and Lois wanted the land to continue to be a blessing and sold it to us. The land rich in providing an abundance of blessings will continue to bestow riches to Claudia’s family. It was wonderful to have Lois and her family join us for the morning ceremony. The neighbors on St. Paul Ave embraced the idea of a Habitat home in their neighborhood. They looked forward to being part of neighborhood that helped someone realize their dream of affordable homeownership. Many of them attended the groundbreaking ceremony, a BBQ block party event, and the home dedication ceremony. In fact, a neighbor a few houses down the block are not only fluent in Spanish but had visited Claudia’s hometown in Mexico. They will have plenty of stories to share with each other! 3
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