Thanksgiving is this week, and Rebeca Spears and her son, Carlos Cabrera, have a great deal to be thankful for.
A dedication ceremony was Sunday afternoon at their new Habitat For Humanity of Kosciusko County home at 559 E. Market St., Warsaw. The dedication was attended by approximately 60 people.
The home was Habitat’s 20th built in Kosciusko County.
Spears is the homeowner, and will live in the home with her son. Spears’ mother, Tiburcia Cabrera, will live in the home this winter, and Cabrera’s sons, Lucas, 9, and Dayson, 11, will visit.
Construction on the home began in August and features a three-bedroom home with 1-1/2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room and handicapped-accessible bathroom and outdoor ramp.
The handicapped accessibility is for Cabrera, who is in a wheelchair after being paralyzed during a car accident.
Jon Scroggs, project coordinator, oversaw the project.
“The community donors and volunteers were fantastic and showed up to get the job done,” Scroggs said.
Scroggs presented keys to the home to Spears. The Spears and Cabrera families will move into the home this week, pending an occupancy permit is granted.
Spears also will benefit from the home. She is a Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor. She marked her 15 years this month at RR Donnelleys where she works third shift.
Spears said she and her son have lived at Canterbury Apartments, and this will be the first time she will own a home.
“I want to thank all of the volunteers for their work, and God because without him this would not be made possible,” Spears said.
Cabrera said owning the home will take a financial burden off of his mother, who has had to pay hundreds of dollars in rent for them to live in an apartment and will now have a more manageable mortgage.
Christon Clark, Habitat executive director, said he feels the home will meet the family’s needs.
“The home is ADA compatible, and this is the ultimate situation where Habitat can address a family with a specific need to help them to be mobile in their own home,” Clark said.
