The celebratory event capped hundreds of hours of hard work by all parties involved. Applicants to the habitat program are required to put in sweat equity with the organization to receive their home. At 575 hours, Iheme put in more than double the amount required. It was a contribution Rathena Austin — manager of the Springfield Restore where Iheme volunteered — was eager to commemorate.
“Once she reached her hours, she saw that the need to help was so great there in the store, because we were struggling, she just came back every Thursday. That’s how she reached over 500 hours of sweat equity, she just doubled it easily,” Austin said.
Iheme’s dedication and personality has helped her become a fixture at the Springfield Restore. Members of Austin’s team were teary-eyed as they watched their manager hand over the keys to the house in front of Iheme’s granddaughters, State Senator Kyle Koehler and religious leaders.
“Gwen really is a part of my family just like everyone that comes in there. We know them by name; it’s awesome. It, from day one, stole my heart,” Austin said.
For Norm Miozzi, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton, Iheme’s personality and warmth were what made the project so special.
“This has been a great project for us because it’s a partnership between Cliff Park School and their students, Habitat for Humanity, of course the State of Ohio and the city of Springfield,” Miozzi said.
The house was gutted and completely renovated with help from Cliff Park School students as part of their workforce development, according to Miozzi. Work was done to ensure Iheme could enter and leave her new house safely.
“It’s a home. One thing Habitat (for Humanity) believes is a home is an anchor; it doesn’t just provide financial opportunities, but it provides stability for the family,” Miozzi said.
Chad Wilson, executive director for United Way of Clark, Champaign, and Madison Counties, was one of many guests there to lend his support to Iheme and the work of Habitat for Humanity. With years of experience working with the organization, he offered insight into just how transformative Habitat for Humanity’s work can be.
“Homeownership changes financial futures. It changes legacies. It gives families a place to come and have holidays that aren’t cramped into small apartments. And that’s honestly what I love so much about it,” Wilson said.
For Iheme, the road to owning her first home started with a call to 211. The non-emergency resource numbers allows United Way to connect community members with dozens of transformative resources and programs such as Habitat for Humanity.
“Everyone who touches one of these houses, be they a volunteer or staff member or the community that came in to congratulate, is changed. All you have to do is come to one of these and see it happen,” he said.
That change could be seen on Iheme’s face as she smiled, dangling her keys.
“If I can do it, other people can do it. I think it shows that with hard work and stability you can do it. You can get your own home,” Iheme said.
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