On Friday morning, Sept. 27, NHRMC dedicated its ninth Habitat for Humanity House. The new homeowner, Karey Quattlebaum, realized her dream of becoming a homeowner in a place where she can feel safe.
On May 11, a team of NHRMC volunteers stood side-by-side with Karey, a nurse assistant at NHRMC, as they began work on her future home. This was not the beginning of Karey’s journey with Habitat. Like the other eight NHRMC Habitat House owners, she volunteered her own time, putting in the sweat equity on other people’s homes so they, too, could see their own dreams come true.
After Hurricane Florence, Karey helped others clean out their homes, salvaging what they could after the devastating floods. Volunteering is part of the sweat equity that Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity requires from all homeowners, but the effects of the hurricane helped reinforce the message of the value of home ownership.
Karey expressed her appreciation to Habitat and to her teammates for all of the help she received along the way.
For four months, teams of New Hanover Regional Medical Center employees spent their Saturday mornings shoveling, nailing, sanding and painting. On Friday, some of them stood outside the house as Karey was handed the keys.
“There’s something special about a Habitat House,” said NHRMC President and CEO John Gizdic. “All of us want and deserve a home of our own, and today, Karey gets that.”
Karey moved to Wilmington from New York. Here, she learned to drive, experienced her first hurricane and learned what it’s like to be supported by 7,000 co-workers.
“I just want to say thank you for letting this girl dream once again,” Karey said.
Want to get involved?
The NHRMC nurses, through the leadership of Nursing Congress, will be building another Habitat House in the coming months. Keep checking on CapsLive for details on how you can help.