I just had the distinct privilege of attending the closing for Ricky Mitchell and the house we built together with him in Long Acres in Raleigh. Habitat is a partnership, not a charity give-away. And with Ricky this couldn’t be truer. Ricky himself was actively engaged in all aspects of the construction. Ricky’s brother, a professional roofer, installed the roof shingles. Ricky’s co-worker, a trim carpenter, installed all the interior doors in a matter of hours and then cut the baseboards which Ricky installed. There in the downtown offices of Poyner Spruill (who by the way, perform nearly all of our house closings pro-bono!!), on the 19th floor of the RBC Tower, Ricky was realizing a long-held dream—to become the first homeowner in his family! As all the papers were being explained to him, Ricky commented that this home in Long Acres was going to be his second to last home. His last home, he said in his always good humor, “will be the funeral home!” I wish you all could have been there to experience the true joy that Ricky knows so deeply and expresses so humbly. At 51, it has been a long road for Ricky to this point, but now he can provide a beautiful home within his budget for the two children he is raising as a single dad.
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