Merry ChristmasM Heather Milne-HallPeter Watson Richard Benn Danielle Lavigne 220 Randall Street Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 Helping You Make Smart Decisions About Your Money ALL DOMINION DRIVER TRAINING AND TRAFFIC EDUCATION CENTRES LIMITED Quick Start Course Added 5 seats leftDecember 18th. 9:30 am to 3:30 pm December 27,28,29,30 ( 4 Day Course ) 7 Seats left 9:30 am to 3:30 pm 3 W ednesday , D ecem ber 15, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m She hasnt had a window in her room in almost four years, so shes very excited to have one, Tianna continued, adding her daughter was quick to select the room with a window facing the backyard because she wants to see the trees. Each of the two homes have been built to meet the environmental testing standards of Built Green Canada and are equipped with energy-efficient conveniences including Energy Star appliances. In fact, according to Anne Swarbrick, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity Halton, the two homes are the greenest builds yet. The house on Elmwood Road will mark Tiannas first home ownership. Without the assistance of Habitat for Humanity Halton, Tianna said she would not be able to make the purchase. The faith-based charity organization selects homeowners on certain criteria: they must be Halton residents for a minimum of two years and must live below the designat- ed poverty line in inadequate housing. Selected families, however, do not get the homes for free. They will have to pay the full market value of their dwellings over time. The fair market value of the two Oakville homes is around $300,000 each. As they pay back those mortgages over time, that money goes back into a revolving fund with which we will acquire more land and build more homes for people, explained Swarbrick. In addition to making their mortgage payments over a period of up to 35 years, the families must contribute 500 hours of sweat-equity to help build the home. More than 850 volunteers contributed 7,000 hours towards the construction of Oakvilles Habitat for Humanity Halton homes. These homes could never have been built without the generosity and support of donors and volunteers in the Halton region, said Swarbrick. Many of those volunteers were present during Sundays celebration. For the past seven months, dedicated vol- unteers spent much of their free time on the construction site. Each of them contributed something to the homes and each left their mark of what humanity is all about, said Stephanie, who also took possession of a sec- ond habitat home on Elmwood. Thank you so much for all the love you are putting into our homes, she told the sponsors, donors and volunteers involved in the project. This has been a life-changing experience. Stephanie, who has three children, Jaysun, 11, Jayden, 8, and Jazsmine, 7, said the stability of having her own home has reduced much of her emotional distress. Not having a stable home has been very stressful, emotionally, on our family, explained Stephanie. In the last four or five years weve had to move quite frequently. The places we were staying in were either infested with rodents and bugs or landlords were claiming bankruptcy. So its nice to know we finally have our own home and that this will be our foundation. Stephanie said the kids are sharing her excitement, too. During the dedication ceremony as friends, volunteers and other members of the community chatted in the homes spa- cious living rooms, Stephanies eldest son, Jaysun, sat alone in a bedroom, looking out the window with a smile spread across his face. I cant believe this is our home now, the 11-year-old said. Ive always wanted to live in a place where you can hang in the back- yard and see the beautiful grass, he added, describing his vision of the summer months in the new home. Habitat donors and volunteers made home ownership possible GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER HAPPY HOMEOWNERS: Stephanie and her three children (l-r) Jayden, 8, Jaysun, 11, and Jazsmine, 7 on the front steps of their new Habitat for Humanity home. See Children page 5 Continued from page 1