Salute: Veteran’s family is latest Habitat beneficiary
The Thomas family poses in front of the fireplace in the new home they bought through Habitat for Humanity of Lexington. They are (from left) Heather, Bryson, Trevor, Emma and Bryan, along with their dog, Mitzi. {Contributed photo}
Bryan and Heather Thomas recently closed on their first home through Habitat for Humanity of Lexington.
Located at 17 E. Fifth Ave., across the street from Grace Episcopal Church, which owned the building, the former duplex almost became an office. Early in the process of renovating the space for lease, the dividing wall was removed, the roof replaced, new windows put in and a new HVAC system installed.
Marjorie Parker, executive director of the local Habitat organization and a member of Grace Episcopal, was looking at the space for a possible site for the Habitat office when it occurred to her the building could be the perfect house for a family with three children looking for assistance with affordable housing through Habitat.
“I said, no, there’s a better use for this,” she explained. “It needs to be a Habitat house.”
Parker noted most new Habitat homes are built with three bedrooms and most renovated houses are the same size but the completely renovated brick, four-bedroom home was more economical to remodel than to build new. So, Habitat bought the building from the church and began the process of relocating the Thomas family.
Heather said she applied for the Habitat program nearly two years ago when she visited the Habitat ReStore and was given an application. She was told the organization had helped some families of veterans in the past and that Habitat wanted to continue to do so. Bryan served in the U.S. Army for 11 years, including tours of duty in Iraq and South Korea.
The couple had to complete homeowner education and financial literacy classes and the pandemic brought the process to a halt for some time, Parker said. But in late October of this year, the remodeled home was dedicated in honor of Robert “Bob” Sink, a Habitat board member who helped build 28 Habitat homes in the past 30 years.
The Thomas family gathers in the kitchen of their new home. They are (from front to back) Bryson, Emma, Trevor, Bryan and Heather. {Contributed photo}
As with all Habitat beneficiaries, Heather and Bryan were required to put in 300 hours each of “sweat equity” working on the house. They primed and painted all the walls, scrubbed off stains from the hardwood floors and worked in the yard. Parker shared the couple also volunteered to help with the Sunday lunch ministry at Grace Episcopal.
“It was just a frame and a shell when we first walked in but I could envision what it could be,” Heather said. “I knew God had a hand in this because it was everything we wanted — some hardwood floors, four bedrooms, a fireplace. If I could describe my dream house this would be it.”
Close to 60 volunteers helped turn the former duplex into the Thomas family’s dream home, including individuals in the community, members of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, students in the electrical trades class from Central Davidson High School mentored by Dwayne Buie, the Master Gardeners of Davidson County and Lowe’s Heroes, volunteers from the Lowe’s Home Improvement chain.
Heather has been busy since October making their house a home. She sells home décor and crafts she makes herself online through her business, LotusMoon Treasures. Now, she has more space for her home-based business as well in their new home.
At the dedication in October, Heather noted the family has had a long journey to homeownership. They lived in a camper, an apartment, a trailer and five houses in two different states over the past 11 years. She praised Habitat staffers Parker; Denny Owens, construction manager; and Denise Owens, mortgage servicing officer.
“We may be homebuyers for the first time, but we will be grateful to Habitat for Humanity for a lifetime,” Bryan assured. “It's one thing to envision what your home will look like in the end of the process, but you can never imagine the feeling that comes along with being handed those keys and walking inside.”
