DAYTON — Lakeisha Wilson, a school bus driver and mother of two daughters, received the keys to her first home on a Friday afternoon ahead of the holiday season in Dayton.
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The home was provided through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton.
Wilson qualified for the home after completing more than 350 volunteer hours with Habitat for Humanity.
The homebuilding effort was supported by community partners, including CareSource Foundation and students in the construction trades program at Liberty High School.
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Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton builds about 10 homes in Montgomery County each year.
Over the past three years, the Dayton organization has helped 289 families.
Norm Miozzi, executive director at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton, explained that the organization focuses on new buyers.
“Every Habitat Home Buyer is a first-time home buyer,” Miozzi said. He noted the joy of seeing children react to their new living space, saying, “There’s nothing like a child in a wide-open house and seeing how excited she is.”
Wilson celebrated the achievement with community members, partners, and her two daughters.
Her 3-year-old daughter immediately began decorating her new bedroom with a new teddy bear given to her by CareSource.
“The finish line. I made it,” Wilson said. Speaking about her children, Wilson added, “I mean, I worked hard for them; it’s theirs as much as it is mine.”
Ellen Miller, vice president of community relations at CareSource Foundation, handed Wilson the keys during the ceremony.
Miller emphasized how homeownership provides stability for families.
“It provides, it helps further education, for their workforce, for their health care,” Miller said. “You can have a much better life if you have a stable place to lay your head at each night.”
Miller noted Wilson’s ongoing effort to support her family as a school bus driver.
Wilson and her two daughters will spend the upcoming holiday season together in their new home in Dayton.
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