Kimberly moved to Oregon with her son, four suitcases and the dream for a better life.  Kim’s story mirrors one of our home builds.  She came from very little having lost her mother from cancer at the age of thirteen.  Her teen years were troubled and turbulent.  She survived by living in hollowed out trailers enveloped by the cold and surrounded by dirt and mold.  Like the lots we build on, her life landscape was vacant but there was the hope of possibility that propelled her forward.

When Kim became a mother, she found her foundation; the rock on which she would build her life.  Kim has two sons, one who is full grown and her ten year old son, Shawn.  She describes Shawn as the person who grounds her.  “He is polite, content, and does great in school” Kim beams. “He is my blessing.”   Kim began the hard work of building her future with her son by her side.

She found the love and strength of a church community and in this way; faith erected the walls of her life.  Her church taught her about the strength that resides inside her; it opened up doors to employment and security, and gave her a vision for future that seemed unobtainable beforehand.  Kim works as a clerk at Speedco Tire and Lube in Aurora and has plans to be trained as diesel technician.  She currently rents a room that she and her son share in a trailer in Mt. Angel.  Kim had dreams to be more self-sufficient and provide a reliable home for her son but it seemed impossible in the current housing market.  Rents were high and homeownership was impossible, but then a friend told her about Habitat for Humanity and how they just opened applications for a new partner family.

Kim credits faith to finding Habitat for Humanity.  As Kim tells it, she accidentally locked herself out of her trailer.  Disappointed, she put on her headphones, turned on some gospel tunes and went for a walk around Mt. Angel.  She said she felt guided as she turned down one street and then another and then she spotted North Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity’s office.  She entered the office, took an application, and then put it in God’s hands.

We are honored to be part of helping Kim continue down her path of building by partnering with her on this home.  When we asked Kim what this home meant to her, she replied with teary eyes, “Stability for me and my son.  It means I have roots. To be able to have something that is mine that I worked for is huge for me and my son.  It is a blessing.”