PONTIAC — When the Mefford family receives the keys to their new home on Saturday, they will also be the first Habitat partner family to receive a vibrant painting by Tim Yanke from the latest in a long line of corporate partners, Park West Gallery in Southfield.
“Park West Gallery exemplifies the many corporate and community partnerships that Habitat for Humanity depends on to serve the community and help Oakland County families achieve safe and affordable housing,” says Tim Ruggles, executive director and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County. “It is heartwarming and exhilarating to see the diversity of corporate partners who donate their resources, time and talent to help us achieve Habitat’s mission.”
Park West brings Habitat Oakland’s 2013 corporate partner tally of more than 50 corporate partners. Major donors include Hewlett Packard, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Volkswagen of America Inc., Chase Plastics, and others.
The home dedication is the culmination of a several-years-long community-wide effort from the Clarkston community to find stable housing for D.J. and Kaleena Mefford and their two children. The family is moving into a newly renovated home in Waterford. The Meffords are leaving behind a trailer with severe plumbing issues, poor-quality windows, and little insulation.
Like all Habitat homeowners, the Meffords are buying the house from Habitat and paying a no-profit mortgage held by the organization. They also worked alongside corporate sponsors and volunteers from the community to rehabilitate their future home. A new piece of this heartwarming story is the donation of a swingset by the Cabadas family of Clarkston, members of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, one of the many partners in the My Habitat Clarkston community movement.
