PERTH AMBOY – Two more families are celebrating the holidays at home thanks to Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity (GMM Habitat).
The new Habitat homeowners, government officials, volunteers, donors and staff families and friends participated in a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on November 13. The celebration brought together everyone who worked together to complete the new single-family homes for a family of Army veterans. of five and a civilian family of three generations of four.
“I stand before you today not only as a proud veteran who served nine years as a medic in the Army, but as someone who knows firsthand the value of community, kindness and resilience,” said Mylcaryz Dellosantos, an Army veteran and First – time homeowner who will share the house with her husband and three school-age children. “My work as a physician has taught me about sacrifice, compassion and the incredible power of teamwork. But I can honestly say that today, here in the presence of people dedicated to uplifting others, I feel that same spirit of unity and dedication .”
The Dellosantos family is one of two families celebrating the holidays in their own home in Perth Amboy thanks to the Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity.
The ribbon cutting took place during GMM Habitat’s Veterans Build Week, a national initiative designed to provide housing solutions, volunteer opportunities and employment opportunities to America’s veterans, service members and their families.
“Veterans Day and Veterans Construction Week hold a special place in our hearts,” said Liz DeCoursey, CEO of GMM Habitat. “It is a time when we come together as a community and as a country to express our gratitude and appreciation to the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country. Our veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms and making our country the greatest force for stability and peace in the world. Their dedication and untold sacrifices are both humbling and inspiring.”
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Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin Caba attended the groundbreaking and extended a warm welcome to the two families.
“Today we’re not just looking at homes, we’re looking at the future. … This is your space now, a place where love and dreams will grow,” Caba said.
Also participating in the ceremony were 40 students from Timothy Christian School in Piscataway. Last year, the students volunteered for five days to help build the houses.
Students from Timothy Christian School in Piscataway volunteered for five days to help build two homes in Perth Amboy with Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity.
“Thank you, this is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Penelope Velez-Camacho, a member of the civilian family who moved into their very first home, next door to the Dellosantoses. “It is incredibly humbling to see so many people actively dedicating their time and effort to helping make our dreams come true.”
To make these dreams a reality, 410 volunteers from community, church, corporate and school groups helped donate 2,826 hours of labor to build the two-storey, three-bedroom homes.
GMM Habitat offers a handout, not a handout, for affordable homeownership. Both new homeowner families in Perth Amboy put in between 300 and 400 hours of “sweat equity” working with other Habitat volunteers to build their homes.
In addition, both homes were featured in an episode of NBC TV’s home makeover show, “George to the Rescue.” As part of the show, the families received a complete house with furniture and interior design.
The Velez-Camacho family is one of two families celebrating the holidays in their own home in Perth Amboy thanks to the Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity.
The homes were funded by donations and grants from Citizens Bank, Investors Foundation, The Estate of Robert & Rose Kaeppel, Provident Bank Foundation, PSE&G, Rotary Old Bridge and Sayreville Club, Santander, TD Charitable Foundation. The homes also received funding from the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Team for Neighborhood Enterprise and Revitalization (PARTNER), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Perth Amboy.
Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity is part of a global nonprofit housing organization, Habitat for Humanity International, dedicated to building homes, communities and hope. The organization, one of New Jersey’s leading builders of affordable housing, serves 68 communities in Morris and Middlesex counties and the greater Plainfield area.
Through volunteer work and monetary donations and materials, Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat builds affordable new homes and provides home repair services to income-eligible families and individuals. Since 1985, Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat has served nearly 1,100 families by building more than 200 local homes, preserving 531 homes for low-income homeowners and seniors, and helping 383 families with housing solutions worldwide. The local affiliate has more than 150,000 volunteers involved in its various programs.
Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat also operates a successful ReStore home improvement and furnishing store in Randolph, which has kept 19,727 tons of reusable materials out of landfills and financed 39 homes.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning feature and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.compart of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Habitat for Humanity homes in Perth Amboy NJ welcome two families
