April 18 is a day of sunshine and celebration for six new Habitat homeowners

The Viateur and Marceline Sibomana family

Sponsor: St. Stephen Catholic Community

Viateur and his wife, Marceline, have two sons: Lucky (5) and a newborn baby boy, Prince. Viateur, Marceline, and Lucky came to the U. S. in 2007 from Tanzania. They were able to immigrate with the help of a travel loan through an international refugee organization. Viateur and Marceline had been refugees in Tanzania since 1994. Marceline works during the day as a housekeeper for Service Management Systems, and Viateur works as a self-employed taxi cab driver. Ever since Viateur and his family came to the U. S., they have wanted to own their own home. Since applying to Habitat, Viateur has encouraged several other immigrant families in Nashville to start the application process and has translated and assisted them with their paperwork. Having been refugees their entire lives, Viateur and Marceline know that their family is in for an even brighter future, and they look forward to settling into their new home in Timberwood.

St. Stephen Catholic Community

This spring marks the ninth house built by St. Stephen Catholic Community. The parishioners of St. Stephen call this house “the Friday house.” The funding comes from a 10 percent tithe from the $3 million pledge by the St. Stephen Community to build a Sunday house, which will be a new worship space for more than 1,300 members from Davidson and Wilson County. The 10 percent tithe, the idea of Father Steve Wolf, will build six Habitat for Humanity homes, three in Wilson County and three in Davidson County. According to Father Pat Kibby, building six Habitat for Humanity homes is in perfect alignment with the mission of St. Stephen, “to create a climate that challenges our spiritual growth through meaningful liturgy, prayer life, education, and social activities. We strive to build ecumenical relationships and concern for social justice.”

The Chatika Sharfner family

Sponsor: Spring Community Build

Chatika is the proud mother of two daughters, Danielle (16) and Aaliyah (5). Danielle is a junior at East Literature Magnet High School, and Aaliyah is in kindergarten at Ross Elementary. Chatika is a medical assistant at Centennial Pediatrics and is currently attending Nashville State Technical College in pursuit of a nursing degree. Chatika was born and raised here in Nashville and says she has always wanted to own her own home and that “it means the world to me and my children.” She and her two daughters are very excited about the park in Timberwood and look forward to being able to safely play outside. When asked what she and her family will do once they have the keys to their new home, Chatika said “Praise God and then make ‘snow angels’ in the new carpet!” Her daughters, Danielle and Aaliyah, are very excited to have their own rooms. Chatika believes that, through Habitat for Humanity, people come together and live the life they have always dreamed of living. When they move into their new home, Chatika says there are going to be “a lot of family dinners!”

Spring Community Build

Our community builds always pull together a wonderful group of volunteers, and this build is no exception. These sponsor groups were all drawn to support Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity because of the “hand up” approach of empowering families to improve their lives. They also appreciate the opportunity for their employees and members to give back to the local community in such a tangible way. This Spring Community Build has brought together several first- time and returning sponsors that are eager and excited to contribute to bettering the lives of a very deserving Nashville family. Sponsors groups include: Woodmont Baptist Church, KPMG, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Ingram Entertainment, and Fiberweb Inc. Additional volunteer groups: Vanderbilt Commons, Harpeth Hall School, Schneider Electric, and Meharry Medical School.

The Hanna Ebeid and Heba Awad family

Sponsor: YouthBuild USA/YMCA of Middle Tennessee

Hanna and his wife, Heba, are the proud parents of two boys, Abanoub (7) and Joseph (1). Hanna and Heba emigrated from Egypt to the United States for a better future. Hanna works full- time at Gaylord Opryland as a server assistant and part- time at Pyramids Café in the Rivergate Mall as a cook. Heba stays at home with the children. Aside from his two jobs, Hanna is also taking English classes in hopes of being promoted to a server position at Gaylord Opryland. He and his family lived in a very small unit in the Meadowood Apartments in Antioch where there was no place for their children to play safely outside and the apartment was so small that Joseph had to sleep in the living room. Hanna looks forward to moving into his new home with his family so that they can ride bikes and play soccer in their front yard. Hanna also knows that with homeownership comes responsibility, and he says “That’s why I came to the United States… so my family will have a better future and my kids will be happy.”

YouthBuild USA/ YMCA of Middle Tennessee

Developed in 1990, YouthBuild U. S. A. is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low- income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development. Naturally, the goals of the YouthBuild U. S. A. and Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity mesh well with each other. This will be the first house built by YouthBuild U. S. A. in partnership with NAHFH. In YouthBuild programs, low- income young people ages 18-24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income persons and families. Strong emphasis is placed on leadership development and community service. The YMCA of Middle Tennessee operates Nashville’s YouthBuild program and primary support comes from the U. S. Department of Labor through dedicated federal funding.

The Judy Sims family

Sponsor: Bridgestone Americas

Judy and her daughter, Aja (10), are very excited to move into their new home in Timberwood! Aja is in the fifth grade at Rose Park Elementary School. Judy has worked as a Staff Claims Associate for Allstate Insurance for the past three years. Judy and Aja both desire to live in a safer environment, which motivated Judy to take classes on how to manage her finances and save money in order to buy a home. Judy is a Nashville native; she graduated from John Overton High School and went on to Helena Dye Beauty College where she received a degree and license to be a cosmetologist. Judy had heard about Habitat for Humanity before, but one day she saw a dedication ceremony on television and was so moved that she decided to apply. She said “Habitat for Humanity is a way for me to get a decent, affordable home for my family.” Judy would like to tell Bridgestone “Thank you for giving me and my family the opportunity to accomplish the American Dream of homeownership!”

Bridgestone Americas

Bridgestone Americas has sponsored and built its seventh Habitat house this spring. This long-term partnership was first fostered through the vision and leadership of John Lampe, former Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Americas. Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. is the largest subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. Supporting communities where Bridgestone Americas does business is simply a way of life for the company. Sweat equity combined with financial giving is an established culture that is pervasive throughout Bridgestone Americas, and employees are proud to continue this strong tradition of service to the community. Linda Baskin, former VP of Human Resources, serves on NAHFH’s Advisory Board and former Chairman, CEO, and President, Mark Emkes has been a long-standing supporter of Nashville Area Habitat. Several Bridgestone Americas employees serve as S.O.S., including Steve Hensley, Len Harrison and John Hawkins. Fran Jones – current VP of Human Resources – joined the NAHFH Advisory Board in 2010.

The Kimberly Jones-Khalil family

Sponsor: LP Corporation and The Tennessee Titans

Kimberly Jones-Khalil is the proud mother of four children, two of whom will be living with her in the new Habitat home – daughter, Kimberly (19) and son, Tyrekus (17). Kimberly cares for her 90-year-old grandmother, Gladys who is blind, has Alzheimer’s and uses a wheelchair. Kimberly has a passion for working with people who have disabilities and caretaking comes naturally to her. She works at Restoration’s Care as a personal assistant for a patient who is mentally handicapped, then goes home to care for her grandmother. Kimberly’s former house was unsafe and could not accommodate the needs of her grandmother and family. “I have always wanted to own my own home!” says Kimberly. “My grandmother has taken care of me all of my life. Now, I can give my Granny what she gave me: a safe place to live.”

Louisiana Pacific Corporation

Since relocating to Nashville in 2004, LP has built eight homes in Nashville. Focusing on shelter, education, health and human services and environmental needs, the LP Foundation provides monetary support to a variety of non-profit organizations throughout the community. In conjunction with the LP Foundation, the LP Employee Involvement Committee is dedicated to promoting volunteer efforts in the community, including Habitat for Humanity. Mary Cohn, president of the LP Foundation, serves on the NAHFH Advisory Board and Volunteer Relations Committee.

The Tennessee Titans

Nashville’s own Tennessee Titans put down the football and picked up a hammer this spring to build their sixth home with Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. The NFL franchise, along with LP Building Products, is proud to be making a difference in their home community of Nashville. Titans owner and founder K. S. “Bud” Adams, Jr. and LP CEO Rick Frost felt strongly about pulling resources of their respective organizations together to build with Habitat for Humanity. Lois Frost serves on the NAHFH Board of Directors.

The Sheoka Anthony family

Sponsor: Woodmont Christian, Stansell Electric, First Tennessee, CABLE and Habitat Challenge House

Sheoka Anthony is the busy caretaker of six wonderful children including her daughter Erica and son Marion. Over the past few years, Sheoka was granted custody of her nephews, Laterrace and Keon, and her nieces, Kiera and Lanayjah. A Nashville native, Sheoka says “Life was very hard as a child, but the Lord saw me through.” Since May 2008, Sheoka has worked as a driver for Charter Corporation, transporting patients to doctor appointments. Sheoka and the six children lived in a small, crowded, Section 8 house that had one bathroom and was located in a very unsafe neighborhood. Today, Sheoka’s life is full of hope. Sheoka says the first thing her family will do when they move into their new home is “Thank the Lord and our sponsors for opening the door for her and her family.” She continues to work hard in life to obtain her goals, which is why she always tells her kids that “If you put your mind to it, you can do anything in life.”

Woodmont Christian, Stansell Electric, First Tennessee, CABLE and Habitat Challenge House

Four different and prominent Nashville organizations have teamed up to build the house for Sheoka and her family. All are returning sponsors that have built with NAHFH for many years. Woodmont Christian is one of the longest-serving organizations, having built on over 17 Habitat homes! For Stansell Electric, this is their third house to help sponsor and build. First Tennessee and CABLE have teamed up for their second time to build and sponsor a Habitat home. All four sponsors are deeply committed to serving the Nashville community in as many ways as they can and have proven so by collaborating on this project. They are leaders in their respective fields and examples of dedication and service to their peers in Middle Tennessee. This house was also made possible with the help of an anonymous donor who graciously provided half of the funding!

Special thanks to everyone who made the Spring build a success!