Community Partners Build Habitat Home in Memory of Forsyth County Resident

Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia held a Dedication Ceremony for the third of four homes built on Hubert Martin Drive in the City of Cumming. It was a very chilly morning, but supporters came out in force to celebrate the completion of the Tarelo home and to celebrate the legacy of Bob Gorrie, longtime Forsyth County resident and Habitat Construction Manager.

On this home, Habitat partnered with Maria Tarelo who has lived in Forsyth County for the last ten years with her three children; Ricky (11), Natasha (10) and Elia (7). Ms. Tarelo is employed by the Forsyth County School System as a head custodian. She was overwhelmed with the support and good wishes she received at the ceremony. “I am so grateful to everyone who helped build this home for me and my children,” said Maria Tarelo. “I want to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers who worked so hard and have supported me throughout this process.”

There are many community groups that helped support the construction of the Tarelo home including; ADP, Alcon, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Ingenico, Lambert High School Habitat Club, MarketSource, memorial gifts in honor of Bob Gorrie, nThrive, memorial gifts in honor of Marcus Mashburn, Jr., North Georgia United Methodist Church Housing and Homeless Council, Parkway Presbyterian Church, Patterson-Barclay Foundation, PCL Industrial Construction, Rotary Clubs of Alpharetta, Lanier, Roswell, Sandy Springs and South Forsyth, Ryder, TechniPower, Verizon Telematics and Wells Fargo.

This home is a special one for the Habitat staff, board members, volunteers and partner families. It was built in memory Bob Gorrie, Habitat Forsyth County Construction Manager, who recently passed away from cancer. Those who attended the ceremony shared their inspiring stories of Bob and how he impacted so many lives in the community.

About Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia

Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds simple, decent homes for purchase by low- to moderate-income families who demonstrate a capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, Habitat-NCG has completed 287 homes serving over 1075 family members in North Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth/Dawson counties. Each family is required to attend 6 educational classes and perform 200-300 sweat equity hours. Families earn between 30% and 60% of the Atlanta area median income and purchase their homes from Habitat which provides them with a 30-year, no-interest loan. Family members work side by side with the volunteers, sponsors, and Habitat staff to build their homes. These families not only get to experience the pride of homeownership but they also know that their lives will be changed forever. In addition to new home construction, Habitat North Central Georgia started a home repair program in 2014. To date, 25 repair projects have been completed serving veterans and seniors. For more information on Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, please visit www.habitat-ncg.org.