Habitat Starts Construction on Four New Homes In Woodstock

Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia recently held a First Nail Ceremony for three families at the Villages of Park Creek neighborhood in Woodstock on the border of Cherokee County and Fulton County. It was a chilly morning but over 75 family members, sponsors, community members, and Habitat staff and board members braved the weather to attend the ceremony.  The following week, a second first nail ceremony was held on Lyndee Lane in Woodstock.  The four Woodstock families were overjoyed with the prospect of becoming homeowners and couldn’t wait to hammer the first nail on their homes. They all thanked the sponsors and volunteers who will be helping them build their homes.  Construction on the four homes is due to be completed in June. 

The first home is being built in partnership with the Moungbakou family who immigrated from Cameroun in 2011.  Daouda and his wife, Maimouna, came to the United States to be able to provide a better life for their three daughters; Aicha (17), El Kjamila (7) and Camila (2).  In Cameroun, Mr. and Mrs. Moungbakou were teachers. Daouda is now working in the retail industry and Maimouna works at a convenience store.  The family is currently living in a small apartment where the living conditions are challenging.  They are looking forward to having a place they can call home.  The UPS Foundation is sponsoring the home and will provide the funds and the volunteer labor needed to build the home.

The second home is being built in partnership with John and Hannah Mawi who were born and raised in Burma.  In 2002, they were relocated to Malaysia as political refugees and eventually came to the United States in 2008 with their four children; Van Ro Sang (12), Lal Duh Um (11) and the twins, Lung Lian Thank and Ram Pek Lian (5).   Mrs. Mawi works at Tyson while Mr. Mawi cares for the children and attends college part-time.  The Mawi family is thrilled to have Thrivent Financial and the Lutheran Coalition as the sponsors of their home. A grant has been awarded by the Thrivent Financial Builds program which provides 50% of the cost of construction.  The remaining 50% is contributed by the Lutheran Coalition; a group of Lutheran Churches who donate both the funds and the volunteer labor.  This is the seventh Thrivent Financial and Lutheran Coalition Build in North Central Georgia.

Habitat is partnering with the Thang family on the third home. Cin and Hrin Thang are originally from Burma. In 2005, the United Nations Human Rights Council aided the family in coming to the United States as political refugees. Mr. and Mrs. Thang have three children; Priscilla (8), Rachel (6) and Jemimah (4).  The family is grateful to the many community sponsors involved in helping to build their home including: Publix Super Markets Charities; the Rotary Clubs of Canton, Roswell and Windward; Ryder; Transamerica; and Turf Masters Lawn Care. Along with these sponsors are the high schools involved in the Youth United Program which include: Alpharetta High School, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Cambridge High School, Creekview High School, Fellowship Christian High School, Johns Creek High School, Mt. Pisgah High School, Roswell High School, and Sequoyah High School.

The fourth Habitat family is Jeff and Shandra Richardson who have one son, Jacob (13). Their home is located on Lyndee Lane in downtown Woodstock. This is the second of three homes that will be built on this street. The Richardsons have lived in the area for many years and both work for the Cherokee County school system.  Shandra works at Little River Elementary and Jeff works at Holly Springs Elementary. Their home is being sponsored by Schoen Insulation Services. Schoen Insulation Services, located in Canton and founded in 1989, is the national leader in the manufacturing of non-metallic machine parts. Stephen Schoen is active in the local community and a major supporter of Habitat North Central Georgia, where he is a member of the Board of Directors. 

Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds simple, decent homes for purchase by low income families who demonstrate a capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, 250 homes have been completed and over 900 family members have been served in North Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth/Dawson counties. Each family is required to attend 10 educational classes and perform 300 sweat equity hours. Families earn between 25% 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. For more information on Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia, please visit www.habitat-ncg.org.

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International. Thrivent Builds is designed to involve Thrivent members and Lutherans in helping provide a “hand up” to people in need of affordable housing, offering them a path to greater economic independence. Excluding government funding, Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is Habitat's largest single source of funding, constructing more than 2,900 homes in the U.S. and around the world since 2005. For more information, visit ThriventBuilds.com.

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit, Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping approximately 2.5 million members achieve financial security and give back to their communities. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services. Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial creates and supports national outreach programs and activities that help congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. Also, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter.