A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. —Colin Powell

When Agustin Perez-Garcia left Oaxaca, Mexico, for Anderson, Indiana, in 2001, he could not have imagined the winding path leading his life and his family to Habitat for Humanity in Bloomington 17 years later. Now, Agustin and his two daughters and their families are joining him in what will soon be their June 11-22, 2018, “Builder’s Blitz” paired home in the Trail View neighborhood.

First to find and apply to Habitat were Rosalba and Agustin in May 2017, with approval a couple of months later. They first learned about Habitat from a co-worker at Cheddars. Agustin works full-time (at Casa Brava West) and Rosalba works at Cheddars to pay the bills and qualify for the Habitat mortgage. They are past the halfway point in completing their required Habitat volunteer hours, and say their money management class is already helping them budget and manage their money more wisely.

It didn’t take long for Edgar and Sandra to follow their family into the Habitat process. Edgar, who works mornings in construction and evenings at Cheddars Restaurant, says the idea of a paired home where both families can be close together was especially inviting to them. Sandra, who works part-time at Cheddars and also takes care of their two children, Fabrizio, age 2, and Jeremy, 6 months, and her sister’s son, Alex, age 2, is looking forward to having her three charges close together every day.

Speaking for the combined family, Edgar is quick to offer that “Habitat is not only making it possible for us to live close and easily share our daily lives, but the educational classes are teaching us how to be responsible homeowners in Bloomington. We’re looking forward to moving out of apartments where the living conditions are not the best, where costs are high and regularly going higher, and into our own homes where we can decorate as we wish. ‘The Habitat Way’ is our only avenue to the American dream of homeownership.”

The Mendoza and Perez Family Homes are sponsored by Builder’s Blitz 2018 Signature Builders:

Bailey and Weiler Design/Build, Loren Wood Builders,
Howard’s Home Improvement, Newhouse Construction and Precision Constructing Services Inc.