Meet Shannon and Starr, Habitat for Humanity Family Partners. Shannon is a 37 year old single mother. Her daughter, Starr Miracle, is 13 years old and a rising 8th grader. Shannon has been a school bus driver for 6 years, and has a second job as a Mary Kay cosmetic consultant. Their new Habitat for Humanity home is set to be completed at the end of July, and they cannot wait to move in. Their journey to being homeowners has been a long one, with many obstacles along the way, but keeping the faith has brought them to where they are today.

Shannon was born and raised in Newnan. She grew up in a house with no bathroom, and the closest store was 5 miles away. She grew up with 5 sisters and 1 brother- one sister died 4 years ago from cancer. She still has family support around her, and she is a support in their lives as well. She is very active in her church. She volunteers with Relay for Life and the Keith Brooking Children's Foundation, but she regrets that she may have to scale back her volunteering this year in order to have time to work on her new home.

She was diagnosed with thyroid disease in 1989 and underwent thyroid surgery. Afterwards, she had hormonal imbalances that caused her to lose 3 children; her first child lived only 2 hours and she had one miscarried with the second child and third child stillbirth. Shannon was not sure she would ever be able to carry a baby to full term, but her fourth baby was born healthy and she gave her the middle name, "Miracle." Since then, Shannon's health issues have improved and she does not have any serious medical problems. Shannon says her daughter Starr is a good girl and "looks just like her daddy," who she sees occasionally. Starr is excited about their new home and about their new neighbors, who are old friends.

Shannon moved to a housing project after Starr was born. She had completed Job Corps training and had earned a diploma in hotel/culinary arts. She worked as a cook, a housekeeper, a school custodian, and finally her current job as a bus driver. She became involved with the Family Self Sufficiency Program through the Housing Authority in 1999. Through this program, an escrow account was set up for Shannon to save a percentage of her income to go towards a home. The Housing Project where she was living was torn down, so she moved to Section 8 housing and started paying 70% of her rent. In 2007, as a Section 8 recipient, she had to take a mandatory class, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity, on how to own your own home. Initially, she did not want to take the class because she did not believe she was financially able to own her own home. Little did she know, this class would change her life forever.

She went to the 10-week class and learned about being a homeowner, and began to feel more optimistic. She especially enjoyed the Home Improvement class, the Financial Planning class, and the Good Neighbor class. In 2008, she voluntarily signed up for the Habitat Orientation. She heard other Family Partner stories and started thinking, if these people did it, maybe I can, too. She also realized that her Habitat mortgage payment would be about the same as her Section 8 rent. Her dream of owning her own home was finally starting to look like it could be a reality.

In May 2008, she rode around with her Habitat application in her car until the day it was due. She was having second thoughts about whether she was ready to take on the financial responsibilities of owning her own home. She said she took a "step out on faith" and filled it out and took it to the Habitat office, but they had closed. She had come too far to give up at this point, and she came up with a Plan B. She rushed to the post office, where her friend worked. Her friend made sure it got into Habitat's box, postmarked with that day's date, the deadline. She received the approval call from Habitat's director, Leslie Merriman, in June, and was ecstatic! She had her home visit that August, and after a year filled with sweat equity hours (150 on site at the house and 150 in classes and working at the ReStore), she is getting ready to move in a few weeks.

She had been hoping that this house would be hers. She wasn't sure if it would go to another Family Partner, and she would have been happy for them to get it. But it was next door to one of her old friends, another single mother, school bus driver, living in a 13 year old Habitat home with her son. She knew she couldn't ask for a better neighbor! She knew they would be able to help one another with their children and with owning a Habitat home. She took her pastor's advice and went to the empty house and prayed over it. She walked around it, she looked in the windows, and she walked through the back yard. She felt like it was meant to be hers. And so it was, and after officially being selected for this home, Shannon couldn't wait to get to work. She had lots to do, with the house basically being gutted and redone on the inside. She had help from co-workers, family, church groups, a Women's Build, youth groups, a Singles group, and even some folks having to do community service. She welcomed any and all help and has kept a notebook with messages and signatures from every single person who has helped her. She has taken hundreds of pictures to document the extensive renovations. Her favorite part of the house is the back patio/deck area, where she looks out into her new backyard. She has found hydrangeas, dogwoods, honeysuckle; she finds new plants popping up all of the time.

There will be a Habitat for Humanity Blessing on the move-in day, with her family, friends, pastor, and Habitat family present. She is also planning a family gathering at her new home at the end of August. She hopes to host holiday celebrations and make many happy memories there with her family and friends.

Shannon is happy to share her story with the public. She hopes that her story will help others who want to own their own homes, but don't think they can do it. She advises prospective applicants to fix any credit problems, and to take advantage of the free Habitat classes. She encourages other families to do what she did and take a "step out on faith"; she sees the Habitat for Humanity Family Partner program as a great opportunity. With help from Habitat, the community, and her own determination and hard work, Shannon is now blossoming like the plants in her backyard. She also sees the importance of planting seeds to help others grow along with her. "If I can do it, so can you," she says. "You have to start somewhere. Just take a step out on faith."

By Katie Anderson