A PENNY SAVED: Making Penny Harvey’s Dream Come True
Penny Harvey beams when she tells the story about getting the call from Habitat for Humanity Waterloo that she was selected for home ownership: “I was at work, as I always am. I was told there was a call for me. I heard JoAnn’s voice and she said ‘I’m happy to tell you that you got your home’. I did a happy dance. From where I was standing all the way to my manager’s office. Then around the store.”
“Next to having Georgie, it was the best day of my life.”
Photo Source: See Footnote - 1
Penny and her 12-year-old daughter, Georgina, will be moving to the Howe Drive community in the near future. “I moved here as a single mom with a 1 ½ year old baby and $30 in my pocket. I never thought in a million years I’d be a homeowner. But like I tell Georgie, everything we have, we work for. I’m all she has. She’s all I have. I have to set a good example.”
She is loving every moment right now, soaking it all in and showing her sheer delight: “I’m proud. I did it. Sweat equity is awesome. There is something about having a hammer in your hand. I’m doing it. I’m building my home. Our home.”
Sweat equity is what Habitat homeowners contribute in lieu of a downpayment– they volunteer on the build site or in other capacities to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s work.
Penny is an active and enthusiastic volunteer on the build site. And she makes the volunteer experience even more poignant for others: “Every day when I’m here I introduce myself to the other volunteers. I’m proud to tell them that I’m one of the new homeowners. And they are so happy to meet someone who will be living in one of their homes. It makes me feel so good.”
Her eyes light up when she talks about what she is learning. “I can’t wait to drywall! I’m in love with power tools. I’ve got to get me one of those saws, maybe for building a deck out back…”, Penny pauses, and then continues, with a grin, “but maybe I’ll start with making a picture frame.”
“I have a picture of Georgie standing in the field before the construction of our home started. And when the house is built I’ll take another picture of her standing in the same spot. I simply can’t wait. Either can Georgie. She wants to do her whole bedroom in a zebra pattern. Can you believe it?” She hoots with laughter.
If you thought Penny was excited about being a homeowner, she bursts like a firecrackers when she talks about her new neighbourhood: “I want people to drive by and think…Whoa! I want to live there! It looks beautiful!! Where we are now, it’s not the best neighbourhood. But I know this is a clean, safe community. And I know we’ll all be proud of our homes, of our community.”
Penny works hard. And as she finishes telling her story, she says “I take care of every dollar I make. But my paycheque can only split so many ways. And at the end of every month there just isn’t enough to save to scrape together a down-payment. That’s all I needed.”
Her back straightens. “It’s a hand up. Habitat for Humanity reached out to me and I am so grateful for that. All I needed was the down-payment. I just needed a hand up.”
Make Penny's dream come true by donating today!
1. DeRuyter, Michael. "Habitat for Humanity homeowner grateful but proud." The Record. Published July 9, 2011. Photographer: Peter Lee - Record Staff <http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/560721--habitat-for-humanity-homeowner-grateful-but-proud>