South Jersey family gifted new home just in time for the holiday season
GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) – This Giving Tuesday, the Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity celebrated its 53rd partner family with a home dedication that changed the lives of one South Jersey family.
For Samantha Price, the journey to homeownership hasn't been easy.
"I grew up in group homes and foster homes and never had stability myself, so this is a chapter I get to start with them to have a place to call home," Price said.
This Giving Tuesday, her hard work has paid off.
She is receiving the ceremonious keys to the home she built with her own two hands and the help of fellow Habitat volunteers.
"Her family has moved from place to place to place her entire life, and she in her words has never really had a strong stable foundation," Ashley Griffiths, the Executive Director of Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity, said.
Price began building a new foundation two years ago and she was accepted into Habitat's home investment partnership program. She completed more than 350 hours of working on her future home and the homes of others while learning the financial tools of homeownership.
During the ceremony, Price and others took a moment to honor former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
The former first couple dedicated themselves to building more than 4,000 homes for Habitat for Humanity and people just like Price.
"She chose to really dedicate her life and this is after in retirement. She's in retirement, dedicating her life to housing advocacy and making sure every single person has a right to safe affordable decent housing," Griffiths said.
And it's the Carter's legacy and work of Habitat that gives reason to the season. A first home with a first Christmas and a new chapter for Price and her two kids.