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Mom Thankful for Volunteers Who Helped Build Her Home
First House Dedication to be Held in Coleman Ridge Community
Getting to move into a home of her own is something Lorena Magdaleno of San Antonio always thought was out of her reach.
“It never crossed my mind that a single mother could do this,” she said recently while working with volunteers to lay sod in the front yard of her new Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio home.
Magdaleno, a mother of four girls ages 10 and under, will join 23 other families who will celebrate the completion of their new Habitat homes at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Coleman Ridge Community.
“I’m beyond excited. This is just so amazing,” she said.
While juggling a full-time job and caring for four children, Magdaleno spent weekends helping to build her home, completing more than 350 sweat equity hours.
“It’s been a struggle with work and my girls,” she said, explaining that working with the volunteers made it worth it. “When I see the volunteers it’s like … a gift from God.”
Stretching out her arms and surveying the work being done by volunteers around her, Magdaleno said “This means the world to me. My self-esteem has gone so high.”
“I want to teach my girls to have faith … be strong … and know that they can do anything.”
Her home is one of 55 built in 2011 in partnership with families in need, volunteers and donors. It was sponsored by the American Bankers Association.
Other sponsors for the 24 homes include: KCI, Tesoro, Wells Fargo and the Terry Lynn Poerner Charitable Foundation of the San Antonio Area Foundation, Bishop Tom Flanagan and the Knights of Columbus – Archdiocese of San Antonio, St. Thomas Episcopal Church/St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church/St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Coker United Methodist Church/Woodland Baptist Church, San Antonio Ecumenical Genesis, Citi, Bank of America, South Texas Lutheran Cluster/Friends of Habitat, donors honoring Bill Lytle and a community build house sponsored by Broadway National Bank, Trinity Baptist Church and University United Methodist Church.
This dedication marks 737 homes built by the organization in its 35-year history. 55 were built in 2011.
Directions: Old Pearsall Road and Loop 410; from downtown San Antonio, take 35 South (toward Laredo) to 410 North; take Exit #2 (Old Pearsall Road); turn Left and go under bridge; turn Right on Excellence Drive; follow the parking signs.
About Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio: Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio is an ecumenical, Christian organization working with families in need to build simple, decent and affordable homes without interest or profit. Habitat families are required to put in a minimum of 300 hours of “sweat equity,” meaning they help build their own home, the homes of their neighbors and they attend home ownership education classes. In turn, they purchase their homes on a 0% interest, 20-year mortgage. Their payments average about $400 a month, or about half the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city. HFHSA plans to build 55 homes in 2011. HFHSA was founded in 1976 as the first U.S. affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. The organization has built 713 homes in its 35-year history.
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