Habitat for Humanity of Craven County will celebrate the completion of its 63rd home at a Home Dedication Ceremony on Friday, May 25 at 5:30 pm. New homeowners Way Way and Paw Mui Na, along with their three young children, will receie the keys to the new home they are purchasing at 614 Third Avenue in New Bern and the public is cordially invited to share this special event.
Habitat for Humanity offers a helping hand to eligible families for homeownership by offering no-interest mortgages once a home is completed. Each family is required to commit to 300 hours of sweat equity in the building of their own and other Habitat homes as well as attending a series of Homeowner Education Classes and volunteering at the Habitat ReStore.
Construction on this latest home began in October 2017 on a lot donated by the City of New Bern. The primary funding has come from the members of the State Employees Credit Union who fund the SECU Foundation. “The SECU Habitat Challenge Initiative is a unique partnership to expand affordable housing by building a new home in all 100 counties in North Carolina. SECU Foundation’s $10 million investment in this project provides a major boost to Habitat supporters and volunteers by increasing their capacity to help many families in the state,” said Cynthia White, Advisory Board Member for the State Employees Credit Union.
“This is a great example of what happens when community partners come together to address a need,” explained Mike Williams, Executive Director of Habitat Craven County. “The financial sponsorship from the State Employees Credit Union and Bosch demonstrate the support of our business sector and our ongoing collaborative relationship with the City of New Bern has been critical to our ability to have an impact in our community,” said Williams.
As with all of our Habitat homes, a small army of volunteers from throughout the community has contributed over 2500 hours to work with the Way Way family over the last six months to complete this three-bedroom home. Since 1989, Habitat for Humanity of Craven County has helped 62 families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance made possible through homeownership, impacting 98 adults and over 110 children. For more information, contact www.CravenCountyHabitat.org
Submitted by: Deedra Durocher, Volunteer Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity of Craven County