Three Families Join Woodstock Community

The excitement generated by the nine children at the dedication ceremony for the three homes was contagious. All those in attendance – friends, sponsors, volunteers, and Habitat staff and board members -- felt blessed to be able to share this moment with the families. “It was overwhelming to see how excited the children were as they ran through their new homes for the first time,” stated Russ Hayes, Habitat-North Central Georgia’s Chief Executive Officer. “The children couldn’t wait to show everyone their new rooms.” All three families expressed extreme gratitude to the sponsors and volunteers. “This home is a blessing for me and my daughters,” said Maria Orantes, Habitat homeowner. “Thank you to everyone who helped build this home for my family”.

Since 2010, Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia has completed 33 homes in the Villages of Park Creek neighborhood, located in Woodstock. Prior to Habitat’s involvement, this neighborhood had been abandoned by the original builder having only built on 1/3 of the lots.

The three families who purchased the Habitat homes have faced different challenges over the years but they all have shared a common dream of being able to raise their children in a safe and stable environment.

The first home was built in partnership with the Thang family. Joseph and his wife Ni Par are natives of Burma. Joseph arrived in the United States in August of 2008, and his wife followed in 2010. They lived under an oppressive regime in Burma where the authorities would take chickens, cows, and other items from Joseph’s farm without permission or compensation. When Joseph protested, the authorities tried to have him thrown in jail, which led Joseph to flee with his family to Malaysia where they lived as refugees. Several years later the United Nations refugee camp made arrangements for the family to move to the United States. Since arriving five years ago, Joseph has worked at Tyson Foods and was recently promoted. Joseph and his wife have expanded their family to include Jessica (4), Rabi (2) and Ebenzer (1). The Thang family feels very fortunate to have UPS as their house sponsor. The UPS Foundation, a long-time supporter of Habitat, has donated 100,000 in grant funds to help pay for the construction of their home.

Habitat partnered with the Garas family on the second home. Fetmar and his wife Roma longed to come to the United States to get away from the religious persecution they felt in Egypt. They were thrilled when in 2010 they were selected by a lottery system for visas to the United States. Fetmar arrived first and tried to find employment. With the help from an Egyptian Church, he was able to find employment after four months, just one day before their visas expired. Fetmar and Roma now have two young daughters Youana (7) and Youlina (1). The Garas family’s home was built in memory of Juanita Scott. It was also designated as this year’s Women Build home with Infor as the presenting sponsor. There are several additional community sponsors including; Delta Community Philanthropic Fund, Lowes, the Habitat Youth United group, Joe E. Johnston Foundation, Allison Mann, Magoon, Freeman, Spain & Jones, LLC, Norcross Elementary School and the Women Build registrants.

The third partner family is Maria Orantes and her three daughters, Yezel (14), Daniella (10) and Fernanda (9). Maria has struggled to support her three children and is very grateful for the opportunity to raise her family in the Woodstock area. Maria works as a paralegal at a legal firm in Buckhead. They have lived in Canton for many years and love the community. The Orantes family is fortunate to have had the following businesses and community organizations sponsor their home; ADP, Citrix Systems, Enercon, the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat for Humanity, State Farm and Travelers.

Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds affordable homes for purchase by low-income families who demonstrate the capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, Habitat-NCG has completed 273 homes serving an estimated 1,000 family members in the North Fulton area and Cherokee, Dawson and Forsyth Counties. Habitat-NCG does not give away its homes. Partner families, who earn 30% to 60% of the Atlanta area median income, purchase their homes at or near appraised value utilizing 30-year no-interest financing provided by Habitat. In addition, each partner family is required to attend educational classes and perform 200-300 hours of construction “sweat equity.” Family members work side by side with the volunteers, sponsors, and Habitat staff to build their homes. Habitat-NCG’s slogan is “A Hand Up, Not a Handout.” For more information concerning Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, please visit www.habitat-ncg.org.