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 Courage, perseverance, optimism, energy – those are just a few of the words that describe my learner, Rosita Paul. What for many of us would seem to be insurmountable obstacles have become, for Rosita, challenges she is facing and overcoming. Rosita is a recently divorced 30-year-old mother of four: Stephanie, 11; twins Sandy and Handy, 9; and Russell, 7. Stephanie is handicapped and requires around-the-clock nursing care.
In our almost two years of meeting together weekly as tutor and learner, Rosita has improved her reading and comprehension skills, prepared for the citizenship exam (she is Haitian), worked a full-time job in the laundry of Carilion Hospital, and cared for her children.
Most recently, Rosita has applied for a Habitat for Humanity house and worked more than 60 volunteer hours to qualify for it. She needed 50 hours to complete the application process. She’ll need to invest a total of 200 hours to be fully qualified to receive the house and an affordable mortgage to go with it. Next spring her house will be built, and she will have a place of her own. The challenges won’t end there. She’ll continue to work hard, pay her mortgage, and raise her family – drawing on her courage and the other attributes that have brought her this far. -- By Floyd Addison, Basic Literacy Tutor and Treasurer of the LVA-RV Board of Directors
Raising the Roof on Rosita's Residence
Since the above article appeared in the September-October newsletter, Rosita, volunteers, and Habitat for Humanity staff have begun construction on Rosita's house. The progress has been great. See the images below to watch in grow.
The foundation and basement walls emerge.
The exterior walls begin to take shape.
The roof caps the project.
Since these pictures were taken, the house has taken even greater shape. Congratulations to Rosita and her four children!
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