Dream come true for family of seven
Kim, Kevin and their five children, Kiara (13), Christian (8), Anthony (7), Clifford (5), and Lillianna (4), like to make t-shirts. It’s a family tradition designed to celebrate important milestones, like starting a new school year or the start of summer vacation. Imagine the t-shirts the family must now be creating as they all dream of moving into their new Habitat for Humanity home in Ormstown come September.
After moving to the Chateauguay region four years ago with their blended family, Kim and Kevin had been living in a home badly neglected by their landlord. The situation was such that they were becoming concerned for the security of their children. When their eldest daughter, Kiara, brought home a pamphlet from her school describing the Habitat for Humanity project in collaboration with the New Frontiers School Board, Kim briefly allowed herself a moment to dream. After a few seconds however, she quickly assumed her family would not qualify and stashed the paper in a drawer. It wasn’t until months later when a video on Facebook describing the Our House Project caught her attention. This time, she let her dream of a better home for her children play out while she filled out the forms and sent them in. When Habitat for Humanity called to tell her the good news, she and Kevin shared a dance in the yard.
A non-traditional family, Kevin works as a stay-at-home dad while Kim works full-time. For most, the commitment to raising five children while working full-time would make the required 500 hours of volunteer service with Habitat for Humanity seem an unsurmountable task. For Kim, juggling hard work with family life comes naturally. After her first born, Kim returned to school to obtain her high school leaving certificate, and she never looked back. Now a university graduate, she is able to instill the values of hard work and an education in her children, and with a supportive husband managing the household, she and her family have the best of both worlds.
Volunteers needed
The family was on hand this July to meet their new neighbours, Stacey Kater and her son Chase, who were given the keys to the first of two LEED certified houses built in Ormstown. The ceremony not only introduced the family to many of those who had worked through the Construction program at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre to build the house, but to a number of those within the Ormstown and broader Valley community who had contributed in some way to the project.
With this in mind, Habitat for Humanity is once again looking for volunteers to help complete the second home in time for the arrival of the new family toward the end of September. Anyone interested in helping can contact Habitat for Humanity directly at info@habitatqc.ca or 1-855-937-0643 or can register on their website at www.habitatqc.ca.
As for Kim, Kevin and their family, they are all looking forward to setting down some roots and joining the Ormstown community, and in colourful t-shirts to boot.