Blessings in Bluffton

In 2003, Erica and Hiram lived in a cramped apartment on Hilton Head Island with their two daughters, Sara and Elena.  As the rent continued to rise, Hiram took on two jobs just to pay the bills, and Erica worked part-time while caring for her two little girls.  They so badly wanted more stability in their life. 

They looked at purchasing a trailer or buying a small house, but both of those options were out of reach financially.  Then Erica learned about Habitat for Humanity.  She and Hiram applied and were accepted into the program. 

Erica remembers the building process and the sweat equity part of the program were hard, but worth it.  There were several aspects of the process Erica tells with joy.  The first is that she got to meet her neighbors prior to moving in.  They became a little community.  Erica had several roles for sweat equity.  One was being a translator. Several of the families, who were Hispanic, spoke little English.  Erica would jump in to make sure everyone understood what was going on.  Once they started construction, she would watch all the children, whose parents were all in the program, in what was a little community center. 

Her favorite part of the process was working on her house beside her husband.  They had gone through the process together and tried to do as much as they could as a family unit.  She said the key was that they were building something for their children and the family’s future.  She also loved all of the volunteers.  They were all so kind and willing to help support the family even beyond construction.  Everyone was doing the most they could to try to help.

Erica said she was so excited she doesn’t remember the events of the day that her family’s house was dedicated.  However, she fully remembers the feeling of joy she had seeing her house finished and knowing that this would be her family’s home.  She felt so blessed and proud they had done something good for their children.  She also said she was in awe, because she could not believe that she, her husband, and volunteers had all come together to complete the home. 

Today, the two little girls are grown.  Hiram and Erica sent both off to college, something they would not have been able to afford without Habitat’s low mortgage payments.  One still lives in Bluffton, and the other recently moved to Boca Raton.  Erica says the dining room table is her favorite feature in the house, because when the girls are home, everyone sits around the table and has dinner as a family.  Hiram has a dependable job and Erica started her own successful cleaning business that serves Bluffton and Hilton Head Island. 

The impact of your donation will have an immediate affect on a family’s life.  The great part is that even twenty years later, your donation will still be making an impact as a family thrives because of your support.