Carley Whaley, center, expresses her gratitude for her family's new home in Southgate Hills, part of the Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland community, during a dedication ceremony. She is joined by her children, from left, CJ, Isaiah and Brooke.CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Four families have ushered in new chapters in their lives as part of the Southgate Hills subdivision, which is part of the Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland community and located on South Lee Highway.
On Thursday, volunteers, sponsors and new neighbors joined those families in home dedication ceremonies complete with tears of joy and songs of praise.
Southgate Hills' newest families choked back emotion as they spoke of their journey to home ownership through Habitat and expressed gratitude to all who helped them through the process.
"There may be darkness and light, but morning always comes," said Carley Whaley, who is moving into a new home with her three children. "God is always with us."
"The program makes such a difference in everyone's lives," said Kathleen Locke, a mother of four.
Volunteers, staff and other supporters said the gratitude is mutual.
"We want to thank these families for giving us the opportunity to be involved in their lives," said Jeff Morelock, board president for Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland.
Morelock also expressed thanks for the hard work and planning that went into creating the subdivision.
"You don't just buy property and start building homes," said Morelock, citing the need for infrastructural necessities such as electricity, water and good roads.
The Habitat program, which requires 300 to 400 volunteer hours of "sweat equity" by participating families, is one that creates relationships, said Desireé Colón, marketing and special events coordinator for the organization.
"They can work those [hours] by volunteering at the ReStore, building on their own homes or building on their neighbors' homes, which is really cool," Colón said. "That's the way that they bond."
The Habitat homes are not free, she said.
In addition to home ownership classes and volunteer hours, participating families sign on for zero-percent mortgages ranging from 15 years to 30 years in length, Colón said.
The Habitat program is one in which the families "give back" and build good neighborhoods, said Kurt Schubert, a construction volunteer.
Each home serves as "a symbol of cooperative goodwill, work and sharing," according to the litany of dedication, spoken by the gathering of families, volunteers and sponsors.
Southgate Hills, established in 2012, is expected to eventually grow to 35 homes, Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland officials said at that time.
The subdivision now hosts almost half that number of homes.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.