THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412060190
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHERYL BALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
A holiday dream came true for the Charles Thomas family last Friday.
With the help of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity, the family got the keys to its first house, which sits at the corner of Chesapeake Boulevard and Keller Avenue.
The site, at 3100 Chesapeake Blvd., is the ninth that the NRHA has donated to Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for low-income families.
Volunteers from the law firm Crenshaw, Ware and Martin and employees of the NRHA both worked to make the house become a reality. More than 30 local contractors and businesses contributed time and materials so the house could be completed in less than two months. The Thomases also worked for 400 hours on the house as part of their eligibility requirements. The family also needed a good credit history, good standing in the community and community service, which they filled through church activities. They attend St. Mark's United Church of Christ.
The family - Charles, Mary, their two daughters, Artisia and Charlotte, and Artisia's daughter, Rochelle - will be moving into the house shortly before Christmas. Mary's birthday happens to fall on Christmas Day.
``It's a dream come true,'' Charles said, ``and a blessing to know that someone cares.''
The employees of the NRHA cared enough to contribute $19,000 to the project out of their own paychecks. The NRHA added another $11,000 from its reserves, and community businesses donated $10,000 to finish the project. The rest of the house was funded through raffles and T-shirt sales. In the end, NRHA employees and volunteers spent more than 2,000 hours of their own time to complete the house in two months.
``It's an example of people helping people,'' City Councilman Mason Andrews said, ``and it promotes neighborhood quality.''
The gray, two-story house with white trim fits in nicely with the existing houses of Ballentine Place. Charlotte, the Thomas' youngest daughter, won't even have to change schools. She'll continue to go to Lafayette-Winona Middle School with all of her friends.
This house is also an ``example of public and private working together,'' said Clark Olsen, president of South Hampton Roads Habitat for Humanity. He praised to the joint effort of the NRHA, Habitat for Humanity and the community in getting the house built for the Thomases. He also said that the Thomas' house was ``the most beautiful that the NRHA has ever built.''
Charles Thomas said that he won't have to worry about decorating for Christmas during the bustle of moving.
``So many of my church members are looking forward to decorating for my family,'' he said. ``They want to make the house look beautiful for the holidays. It will also be a great gift for my wife on her birthday. She'll have the best present ever.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by BETH BERGMAN
With the cameras rolling, Charles and Mary Thomas enter their new
home at the corner of Chesapeake Boulevard and Keller Avenue.
by CNB