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And, changing gears now….
Today was an emotional day for a family in Lords Bank after they received the keys to their new home with assistance from a Non profit Organization, and a Multi million dollar corporation. Jomarie Lanza has this report.
Tyrah Rodriguez, a mother of three living in the Lords Bank area received the keys to her new home today courtesy of Bowen and Bowen and the Building for Change Program, Hand in Hand Ministries.
This is the 494th family that has received a home under the programme, and with all the excitement and emotions in the air today at the handing over, Tyrah shared with us how she felt now that her dream, a house for her and her kids has become a reality.
Tyrah Rodriguez, Home Recipient
"Well basically what I did was just to attend the sessions that they do have you know to get into the programme, and I go out and I help other families as well and I was just waiting until it was my turn."
"Well to be honest i'm just excited thanks to the people of hand in hand for this opportunity it really means a lot to me and my kids. Well they are right here I think they are as excited as me my daughter she already wants her own key so… yes they are excited as well."
Tyrah has spent a significant time volunteering at Hand in Hand Ministries remaining committed to the work that they do in aiding marginalized persons. And what better way to reward her for her time and commitment that to give her a place to call her own, as a testament to her dedication and hard work within the organization
Rashida Bethran, Director of Building for Change Program, Hand in Hand Ministries
"Well it's a 494, it means a lot to our organization because that's 494 families who have been living in marginalized situations who were able to get some sort of security, comfort for them and their families to improve themselves and improve their lives. It is very much significant because we are approaching our 500th home and it's a major milestone for our organization over the past 21 years of serving the marginalized in our community. You know 500 houses its amazing its a wonderful milestone and it just speaks volume that we continue that we are here to sever and we will continue to provide the support to families in need."
"As for anyone who comes to our services for assistance they have to be able to put in the work, give back their time in volunteering participating in our monthly educational sessions and once they have fulfilled those expectations then we give them a home. While we don't have a specific time frame for them to participate we tell them it has to be active participation from start to ten years of service with our programme and Tyra had committed to being a part of our programme. And because she appreciates what she received she wants to impart that blessing to someone else as well."
And without Bowen's help as a corporate entity, alongside the programme this life changing milestone for Tyrah wouldn't have been realized:
Rosanna Villanueva, Corporate Relations Manager, Bowen & Bowen
"So Bowen and Bowen our mission statement is pursuing excellence for a stronger Belize and we believe that one of the ways we can do that is you know by helping families in need wherever and whenever we can. We were also looking for a project for our corporate citizens committee so this is a group of employees who volunteer their time to do community projects across the country. So when we made contact with hand in hand and we mentioned that we wanted we are interested in building a home for someone they were very helpful in identifying Tyra and her beautiful family and when we went out to our teams asking for volunteers saturday and sunday we were quick to get volunteers and I must say I think the project went very well."
The 16 by 20 structure was built by volunteers from Bowen and Bowen and took two days to erect.
