On this Veterans Day, it is important to take a minute and thank those who have sacrificed so much. We’re proud that Habitat affiliates across the state work with veterans groups to help ensure these heros have somewhere to call home. We wanted to take a moment to share a couple of stories from some of our partner families who have sacrificed so much for this country.
Meet the Varner Family
Maclovia hails from sunny Temecula, California along with her 8 year old daughter, Dominique, and 16 year old son, Cameran. All of her immediate family lives there, making it hard for her to leave but she feels the move was good for her family. She moved her family to the Renton, WA after accepting a job with the FAA. She’s worked in the administrative field for the last 15 years and prior to that, worked as a Medical Specialist with the U.S. Army. After making new friends, joining a loving church family and involving themselves in after-school activities, she and her children now consider Seattle home.
Her son joined his school choir, her daughter enjoys track and cross country and Maclovia volunteers to feed the homeless in her community. She believes giving back to her community is imperative and especially enjoys working hard with other volunteers on the Pacific site to build the community they’ll be living in. In the future she plans to support a Habitat family through their own process. For now though, she’s happy to finally get the chance to own a home and invest in her children’s future.
Maclovia has been searching for an affordable 3 bedroom home for a little over a year now where both she and her children could decorate and paint to their liking. But with the cost of homes rising, large down payments needed, and HOA fees, she’s found it more and more difficult to find a house that she could afford, in a safe and welcoming environment. Now, Maclovia looks forward to having her own garden full of fresh veggies, spending her favorite holiday, Christmas, decorating the house, putting up a Christmas tree and summertime BBQ’s with family and friends. Her family will finally be able to get the dog they’ve always wanted and live in a small community where she can feel safe when she and her children go out for a walk or bike riding around the neighborhood.
Meet the Mayo Family
Joe Mayo was born in Bury St. Edmunds, England but came to the US as an infant when his father, who was in the military, was transferred to Spokane, WA. Joe ended up in the military as well, serving in the Navy as an Electronic Technician and Navigation Supervisor. He helped to maintain and operate the navigation center on an FBM submarine.
Between his father’s military travels and his own, he’s lived in places such as Scotland, England, Idaho, Texas, Florida, Georgia and several more US states. At one point he was stationed at the Sub Base in Bangor, WA and developed a liking of the area. The military friendly state seemed like a natural choice to make when he decided to move from Biloxi, Mississippi.
Even though he liked Mississippi, after three major hurricanes, numerous tropical storms and a divorce, he decided he needed a new start. Even though he has two daughters, he moved to Washington by himself since they are both adults and living on their own. So far, he says Washington has the most advantages for him. He is particularly active in Seattle’s dance community since he uses dance as therapy for his Parkinson’s. It has also created friendships and encouraged him to discover many new places.
Joe ended up in the Habitat program due to the rising prices of the Seattle area rent which do not accommodate his fixed income. He’s eager to live in the Veteran community because he believes it will remind him of the comradery and shared experiences he had while living in base housing. He also is looking forward to having more stability and the space to carry out his passions of cooking and canning.