Tim Turner was determined to give his son a better life than he had. After fighting his way out of homelessness and gaining full custody of Damyanti, Tim began to dream of owning his own home in a safe neighborhood where his energetic, then 9-year old son could play outside.
This month, that dream will become a reality.
On August 6 and 13 at 5:00pm Tim and Damyanti, along with 11 other remarkable Charlottesville families, will celebrate the culmination of years of hard work at the Burnet Commons III: The Park home dedication ceremonies. These families have contributed hundreds of hours of sweat equity and are finally realizing their dreams of home ownership.
As Tim recently helped put the finishing touches on his and his neighbors’ new homes, his enthusiasm for the coming weeks was palpable.
“I can’t wait to see all of the kids playing together and watch everyone moving into the neighborhood,” said Tim. “I’ll be so excited to meet the other families moving into the market-rate homes. It’s going to be such a fun time.”
Habitat dedications present a special opportunity for Partner Families, volunteers, supporters, staff and community partners to come together to celebrate the journey to home ownership. They are also a chance for the many Habitat volunteers and supporters, who have made The Park a reality, to see what their tremendous commitment of time and resources has created.
“Dedications are the culmination of many different parts of the Habitat Team, not the least of which are dedicated, hardworking Partner Families coming together to make homeownership possible,” said Mid-week Crew member Peter Wurzer, who has volunteered hundreds of hours at The Park. “It’s a celebration of success and the many opportunities that will come in the future, and I get great satisfaction from being a small part of such an important event in the lives of our Partner Families.”
A unique private-public partnership, The Park is a collaborative effort among Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, Southern Development Homes and the City of Charlottesville. The new neighborhood has transformed a long-time City dumping ground into a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-income community built around a central park. The Park features 18 Habitat and 28 market-rate homes.
Charif Soubra, Southern Development Sales Manager, recently spoke about the unique evolution of the Burnet Commons III neighborhood.
“We were able to take this unknown piece of property in a beautiful corner of the City with amazing views that no one else wanted,” said Soubra, “With the help of Habitat and the City, it has been transformed into the wonderful, thriving neighborhood that you see today.”
