Habitat SHR will begin construction on this home early summer for the King family.Members of the participating Apostle's have been on site building this two story home for the seven family members of the King family. The family drives by the house multiple times a week to follow the progress. They are on site assisting with the building and earning their sweat equity as often as possible.
| 1. The Gathering/Courthouse Community UMC | 7. Your Church |
| 2. Coastal Community | 8. Your Church |
| 3. Galilee Church | 9. Your Church |
| 4. The Chapel of the Good Shepherd | 10. Your Church |
| 5. Naval Station Norfolk Chapel | 11. Your Church |
| 6. Your Church | 12. Your Church |
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Early Summer 2010 | Begin Foundation Work |
| July 2010 | Begin having volunteers onsite |
| July-October 2010 | Continue building on schedule with inspections and calling in trades |
| October 30, 11am | Dedicate |
| December 2010 | Pass final inspections and family moves in! |
The King family is just one link in a chain of Habitat homebuyer families. When a fellow church member was selected for a Habitat home, the Kings filled out an application, and to their surprise, were selected as a Habitat homebuyer family for 2009. Going forward, the King family hopes to help more people learn about Habitat, "so that more people in our same situation will have the opportunity to take advantage of the blessing that we have been given. Everyone wants the “American Dream” to own a home, but not go broke trying to do it," said Mr. King.
Thomas King was born and raised in Virginia Beach. He attended Bayside High School and has worked as a construction inspector in public utilities for the City of Norfolk for nine years. His wife, Dottie, is a stay-at-home mom and cares for their five boys. The entire family is very excited about being selected as a Habitat family, saying “it is just a blessing.” They currently rent a house in Virginia Beach, but are looking forward to no longer paying rent, seeing home ownership as an investment in their family and future.
Mrs. King describes her five boys – Bryce, 15; Daryan, 14; Christopher, 9; Clarence, 7; and Ethan, 1 – as handsome boys who love sports and like to hunt. The oldest son is on the football team at Salem High School and enjoys all sports. The other boys too enjoy and participate in basketball, wrestling and soccer.
The Kings are very grateful for the chance to own their own home – "we say thank you, but words really can’t express the gratitude," said Mr. King. "We feel we would not have had our dream come true without the help of Habitat, and for that, we are grateful. We have gained friends and family through Habitat, and I will not stop helping Habitat once our house is built. I will help others become homeowners too."
The King family belong to New Beginning Church and their faith is the center of their home. "We thank the Lord and just put our faith in the Lord," said Mr. King. "I try to spend as much time with my family as possible and do things around the house to show my sons that if I can help out at home they can too."
The King boys are looking forward to helping build their home and are excited about picking out paint colors for their rooms.