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TwitterSt. Jerome’s Head Start Employees Gain Housing Through Habitat for Humanity
Mary Gunning, director of St. Jerome's Head Start, and Tymeerah Butts in front of Tymeerah's new home.
On October 5, Tymeerah Butts, a family services coordinator at St. Jerome’s Head Start, met former President Jimmy Carter when he worked on renovating her new home through Habitat for Humanity.
About 300 volunteers, including Carter and his wife, renovated houses in Baltimore and Annapolis as part of a weeklong project with Habitat for Humanity, the home-building organization that owes its visibility to Carter, who became heavily involved in its operations after his presidency ended.
Tymeerah is one of the many qualifying homeowners to commit to putting in up to 300 "sweat equity" hours on Habitat homes and attend 50 hours of classes through the group's "Homebuyers College."
Carter greeted future Habitat homeowners and gave each of them a Bible signed by him and his wife. "I'm going to treasure it," said Butts, who will live in the house with her 4-year-old daughter, TyTiana.
“I walked through my house today. I’m so excited! I’m going to be a homeowner,” she said. “I helped build this house. I’ve seen the whole project from the beginning, and I really appreciate the experience.” And having the Carters working on her house “made this experience 10 times better.”
Two other St. Jerome’s Head Start employees, Valeria Foster, a family services coordinator, and Tina Ladd, an assistant teacher, also live in homes renovated by Habitat for Humanity. Kisha Gladden, an administrative assistant at St. Jerome’s is currently putting in her sweat equity hours and expects to be in her home in the fall of 2011.
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