And with that, the latest Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North project is officially complete.
Friends, family, volunteers and dignitaries gathered at 1375 Piercy Ave. in Courtenay on Thursday, Jan. 18, to celebrate the completion of the latest project, with a key ceremony, welcoming the final five families into the neighbourhood.
The key ceremony is a tradition to officially 鈥渉and over鈥� the ownership from the Habitat affiliate to the new families.
After opening remarks from Habitat VIN executive director, Jeff West, as well as Courtenay-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard and Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells, one of the new homeowners made an emotional speech.
Eric and Michelle are the owners of one of the accessible units at 1375 Piercy, and Eric took a moment to shed some light on what it means to finally have a home of their own.
鈥淢ichelle and I have always dreamt of owning our own home,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e always wanted a place no one could take away from us - a place where our children can feel safe and secure, and a place where we could grow old together. We never gave up on that dream, but we certainly have had our share of hurdles along the way. From having to move because our landlords were selling, to Michelle being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the goal of homeownership would have to take the backburner to greater issues.
鈥淎s renters, we lost our homes several times, as landlords knocked on the door to tell us they were selling. I can tell you firsthand, the rental market in the Comox Valley is not for the faint of heart. The first time we were given our notice, there were two houses available to rent in Comox. Two houses. What a feeling to know we will never have to deal with that again. For the last seven years, we have lived with the uncertainty of not knowing what the future holds, due to the disease that continues to attack my wife. It was only because of the wonderful staff at North Island Habitat for Humanity, its many generous sponsors, and the donations from the countless, selfless members of our community, that we were finally able to achieve our goal of home ownership. This has brought a sense of peace to our lives. You have no idea. The security of knowing we have a roof over our heads鈥� specially designed to make life easier for Michelle, means the world to us.鈥�
Following Eric鈥檚 speech, long-time volunteer Tudor Davies presented each of the five families with dedicated gift baskets, containing bread (鈥渢hat this house may never know the meaning of hunger鈥�), salt (鈥渟o life will always have flavour鈥�), a book (so that this house may always have wisdom鈥�) and a toolbox 鈥渟o you will always remember you have been given the tools to be successful in homeownership.鈥�
The townhouse complex has been named Wilks Place, in honour of long-time Habitat supporter Jim Wilks, whose legacy donation made the 1375 Piercy build possible.
鈥淎s Habitat homeowners here grow financial strength and stability, Jim鈥檚 legacy will continue to grow for years into the future,鈥� said West.
Large donation
The Habitat VIN Matching Campaign through the holiday season was a huge success.
鈥淚 am thrilled to announce that, thanks to your generosity and the incredible support of people like you, we raised $44,637, surpassing our fundraising goal for our Matching Campaign,鈥� said Habitat for Humanity鈥檚 director of communications and fundraising, Stefano Tromba.
The Matching Campaign started, as it has every year since 2016, with a pledge from Christoph Real Estate to match all donations up to a total of $5,000.
The community took it from there, raising a total of $39,637. With Jakob Christoph鈥檚 $5,000 pledge, that brought the total to $44,637.
鈥淎 huge thank you to everyone who contributed,鈥� said Tromba in a press release. 鈥淚t takes much more than $10,000 to build these homes, and you came through to show your support for affordable homeownership. From our staff, sponsors, volunteers, and homeowner families: thank you.鈥�
