A Community Champion

At 94, Miss Lillie is a favorite of those in her Habitat neighborhood.  She was one of the earliest homeowners to move into Brendan Woods and has been serving as stand-in mother and grandmother for the other residents since then. 

Miss Lillie moved to Bluffton in the late 1990’s from Brooklyn, NY.  There, she served as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) for most of her adult life.  Outside of work, she was a lifelong learner and took classes in real estate, voice, and floral design.  She sang at the Lincoln Center as well as Radio Music Hall.  Even with all these wonderful experiences, she yearned for a less expensive, slower pace of life and warmer weather.  With that in mind, she started working on moving to Bluffton. 

After she arrived in Bluffton, the rent started to rise.  Miss Lillie, however, was committed to staying here.  She had already found a church home at Central Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church.  She loved the life she was building here.  When she discovered Habitat, it was a Godsend.  She applied and was thrilled to be accepted into the Habitat program.  She immediately started doing her sweat equity hours at the ReStore where she enjoyed organizing everything and keeping things tidy.  When it was time to build her home, members of her church and family from across the country came to volunteer beside her.  Even though she was in her 70’s by this point, she learned how to use tools and participated in building her home.  Her favorite part was learning how to “mud” the sheetrock.  She also came daily with sandwiches for the volunteers who she was working with to build her home.  Finally, the dedication day of her house arrived.  At the dedication she sang “Bless this House.”  It was so loved that her neighbors asked her to sing it at their house dedications. 

From the dedication till today, Miss Lillie has been an active member of her neighborhood.  She especially loves all the children.  Every day on their walk home from school, the neighborhood kids stop at her house for candy or some sort of homemade treat.  She loves her home.  When the weather is nice, she likes to spend time on her screened in back porch.  Other times, she enjoys her living room where she relaxes on a recliner.  She keeps her yard looking great and is proud to be a homeowner. 

Unfortunately, last year, because of rot on her porch, she fell.  Habitat’s new home repair program had just started, and the crew of staff and volunteers went to her house.  They replaced the floorboards of her porch, built new steps, and added new handrails all along so that she can safely enter her home as well as enjoy her porch. 

Today, Miss Lillie is still driving all over southern Beaufort County.  She serves as a church-mother for her congregation.  As a 28-year breast cancer survivor, she is very involved with programs that bring awareness about mammograms.  She is also a passionate advocate for Habitat for Humanity.  She has spoken to multiple community groups about Habitat, and even spoke at a Hilton Head Island Town Council meeting.  Miss Lillie understands the value of owning your own home, having access to affordable housing, and the importance of Habitat for Humanity.