The Volunteering Page of Matt Fritz

***If you didn’t get the opportunity to volunteer and are interested in volunteering in the future, please contact Shane.Brammer@timken.com.***

family and current housing
Felounese Horn has called many places “home,” including rental apartments, SMHA (Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority) properties, and private rentals. After watching and helping her daughter successfully complete the Habitat homeownership program, Felounese knew it was time for her to pursue homeownership for herself, joining the program in the spring of 2018. For the past five years, Felounese and two grandchildren in her custody have lived in a rental house in Canton. Felounese applied to the Habitat program because physical limitations make climbing the stairs to the bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor a struggle. Because she is on a fixed income, Felounese is excited to know she will pay less in housing expenses when she purchases her Habitat home. Most of all, Felounese is committed to providing the best care for twelve-year-old twins, Nicholas and Nicole—or my man-of-the-house and my diva!” as she jokingly nicknamed them. “I’m so grateful for Habitat, for being able to give me this chance to make a better life for my grandkids,” Felounese said. “I want them to be able to hold their heads up and say ‘My grandma did this, I can do this too.’ I want them to reach for the sky. I want them to be proud of me.” Felounese has adult children and grandchildren that she looks forwarding to hosting for holidays and family gatherings. She knows, without a doubt, owning her own home will truly be a blessing.

a bright future
Felounese is committed to working hard and completing sweat equity requirements while in the Habitat program. She will soon participate in the House2Home education series, learning practical skills to help her succeed as a homeowner. Also on the horizon is the start of the rehab work on the preserve-a home she selected as her future residence. Although completing the Habitat program while also raising her grandchildren sometimes seems like a lot to manage, Felounese is committed to making a short term sacrifice for the long term benefit of purchasing her own safe, decent, affordable place to call home. When asked what she thinks her first reaction will be when receiving the keys to her new home, Felounese emotionally responded, “I will probably fall to my knees and say, ‘Thank you Jesus!’ I am so grateful!”

Most people know Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio as a builder of new homes, but we also bring new life to existing houses through our Preserve a Home program. At Habitat, we know there’s value in rebuilding and restoring structures that have a lot of life left – healthy structures that are already the backbone of healthy communities. That’s why, since 1988, we’ve built and renovated nearly 500 homes, impacting over 2,000 individuals through the power of decent, affordable (and often rehabilitated) housing.