Mary’s Story
Meet Mary. A resilient, joyful, and dedicated grandmother to two granddaughters. Mary was born in Jackson, Mississippi and later raised in upstate New York, where she later began her degree in Business at Vassar College. The challenges and demands of life required Mary to leave school with the hope to return again and complete her degree. She began a career as a supervisor for the major computer chip manufacturer, International Business Machines (IBM). Mary has now been a resident of Florida for over 40 years, and is looking forward to planting some more permanent roots.
When getting to know Mary, one can quickly determine her sheer resilience and dedication. Mary is a two-time survivor of breast cancer, having only undergone chemotherapy treatment during her second diagnosis. After surviving breast cancer once, Mary was diagnosed again just before the passing of her husband. The passing of Mary’s husband left her to provide and care for her two granddaughters, whose mother works in Georgia. After an unfortunate reaction to chemotherapy leaving damage to Mary’s arms and legs, her granddaughters stepped in to care for Mary and for each other.
Over the years, Mary and her granddaughters have lived in rental homes with unsafe conditions, unpleasant landlords, and endless repairs that imposed on their lives. Years of frustration towards paying money for a home that she did not own led Mary to consider other options. After speaking to a friend at church who was a Habitat homeowner, Mary began to consider the possibility. However, Mary was hesitant to apply for the homeownership program, because she felt she was not experiencing enough hardship compared to others who were applying. Mary was determined to own a house of her own after countless years and negative experiences in the rental market.
Mary has been excited since the moment she was approved and continues to demonstrate her excitement and gratitude for this journey. Mary’s granddaughters, one in high school and the other attending nursing school, have been by her side throughout this process. They have enjoyed selecting the fixtures and products for their new home as a family, as Mary expressed they are “doing everything together.” Throughout the process, Mary has enjoyed learning about the home building process and has often visited the homes of her peers to witness their construction and cheer them on.
Mary and her granddaughters are eagerly anticipating the day that they receive the keys to their new, safe, and affordable home. They are a family that loves to celebrate holidays with their extended family and friends, and are thrilled to have a home of their own to decorate for all the future holidays. Mary is delighted to have a new kitchen to comfortably cook meals and bake sweets in for her family to enjoy. Most of all, Mary and her granddaughters will have “something they are proud of, because it will be [their’s]” to call home.
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Everyone deserves a safe & affordable place to call home.
Strong and stable homes help build strong and stable communities.
Safe shelter is something we all need to thrive. With a little help, we all have the potential to stand n our own. Bold actions speak louder than words. Working together, side by side, promotes understanding and self-reliance.
No matter who we are or where we come from…
We all deserve to have shelter. We deserve to feel strength and stability day after day. We deserve to know we have the power to care for ourselves and our families and build our futures. At Habitat for Humanity, this principle is what unites us. Through shelter, we empower. Our shared vision is a world where everyone has a safe place to live. Because we are all humans. And every single one of us deserves the opportunity for a better future.