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Living in an apartment complex for over six years with her son and daughter in a location that is surrounded by drug activity has been a situation she thought would not change. She stated" I always thought I would be there forever". Now, the opportunity of homeownership went from dream to reality when she qualified for a Habitat Home. She envisioned a safe place to raise her children – and that opportunity is finally here! Welcome to the Shell’s soon-to-be home!
Tamra and her children have lived in her current apartment for about 7 years and have dealt with noisy neighbors, police sirens, unsupervised children and messy grounds; now she is ready to move her family to an environment that is suitable for raising an active family. She has worked for Goodwill Industries for over 2 years and is very proud of her recent promotion and loves what she has accomplished so far. She wants us to know that she puts no limits on being successful in the future. She loves what her job represents because they help so many people who feel they have no way out. "To see people turn their lives around, it’s a wonderful thing" says Tamra. Her children are very excited and look forward to playing outside in their yard with the puppy mom promised them. Her daughter loves to read and she writes very well. Tamra feels that she is going to be a great writer one day. If you ask her daughter she would probably say she wants to be a fashion designer. Her son enjoys science the most and loves animals and exploring bugs, when he grows up he wants to be either a scientist or toy maker. He will have many opportunities to search for bugs in his own yard.
Tamra said that she's not worried about her family adjusting to a new place because her children make friends easily and they will be just fine. When it comes to that special room in the house, Tamra says that she is most excited about the living room and can not wait to decorate it in an African motif. Her children will have fun making their room just like they always wanted. Tamra is looking forward to opportunities to have friends and family together in her home.
Tamra says that she learned so much from the volunteers while working on other family's homes and looking forward to working on hers. When it comes to general maintenance and construction skills she knows that if anything goes wrong she will know where to start. She also appreciated the education classes and feels the financial classes were a big help in understanding the need to save and being prepared for the unexpected.
The Shell family wants to thank Habitat Greenville for the opportunity to become a homeowner. Having so much support and help from family and friends especially when she needed to do her sweat equity and classes she can't explain what that meant to her. She wanted to say that as a single mom there are days when she felt as if she couldn't and wouldn't make it, but with their help and the help of Habitat she has overcome so many obstacles including being a little shy. They would also like to thank Greenville Housing Authority for the opportunity to obtain hours, their sponsor for their financial contribution, volunteers for helping with the building of her home and her nurturer for being that ongoing support and friend. It goes without saying they want to thank the Lord, and their church family Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church for the love and encouragement given. "My Pastor is very proud of me", says Tamra. |
