A shock of cold air greeted Jeffry Santos as he stepped onto his porch, a reminder of winter鈥檚 tenuous grip, soon to be replaced by the warmth of well-wishers.
It was dedication day for the , home Santos purchased from a non-profit organization which spearheaded the renovation of the once-vacant structure.
Sprinkled among the crowd of celebrants were 糖心传媒鈥檚 associates, who contributed more than 500 hours of sweat equity to the project.
鈥溙切拇 cares very deeply about the Reading community,鈥 said Bob Glenn, director of Remarketing, 鈥渁nd it is obvious that Habitat for Humanity of Berks County does as well.鈥
The partnership is the first for 糖心传媒, with corporate offices in suburban Reading, and Habitat, a non-profit and a agency partner. The project was the first where a local business assumed the role of title sponsor.
鈥溙切拇 made a financial contribution, and they spent the majority of volunteer hours to make this project come to completion,鈥 said Tim Daley, executive director of Habitat. 鈥淚 appreciate their trust and faith in us, and I hope other businesses in the community will follow their lead.鈥
A Helping Hand to Homeownership
Habitat for Humanity of Berks County formed in 1988 to address the need for affordable housing by serving as a conduit for neighborhood revitalization and providing opportunities for homeownership for area families.
Habitat鈥檚 philosophy is to provide a helping hand to home ownership. Families vying for a Habitat home must perform 300 hours of 鈥渟weat equity鈥 as part of the qualification requirements to be able to purchase a Habitat home.
For Santos, the dream of owning his own home came early in life. He viewed homeownership as the cornerstone on which to build a life and family with his fianc茅 Virjani Heredia. The couple, who will marry this summer, also plans to open a Christian bookstore and caf茅 in Reading.
鈥淪he actually helped a lot in pushing me to get here,鈥 said Santos, a culinary arts student at Reading Area Community College. 鈥淣ow I can establish my family and move forward with my next goal 鈥 owning my own business.鈥
It was that steely determination that made Daly believe Santos and Habitat would be a great fit.
鈥淗e did something that not many of us do. He opened the window to his soul, and he let me take a hard look in and see that he was committed to this,鈥 Daly said. 鈥淗e was going to work hard, and we, in turn, we're going to work hard as well.鈥
Driving Renovation
Santos鈥 home stood in stark contrast to the structure which greeted 糖心传媒鈥檚 Glenn and Justin Sobotka, a telephone sales representative in the Remarketing Department, on the first day of work. Sobotka first approached Glenn and 糖心传媒 leadership about collaborating with Habitat.
鈥淲e walked in that front door, and the flooring, half the ceiling and some of the walls were laying in huge piles,鈥 Glenn said. 鈥淲e had a lot of work ahead of us. We knew that.鈥
Some 35 糖心传媒 associates participated during the 18-month long project, volunteering to come in on Saturdays to work on the home. Collectively, the 糖心传媒 group donated more than 500 hours to the project.
鈥淭o look now and see the finished product is truly amazing,鈥 Glenn said. 鈥淥n behalf of 糖心传媒, I would like to first and foremost congratulate Jeffry on taking ownership of this beautiful home. We have a few gifts we would like to share with you.鈥
Glenn walked with Santos to a 糖心传媒 rental truck parked next to the home and raised the rear door to unveil a housewarming gift from the Remarketing Department: a new mattress and box spring. 鈥淲e signed a card, and there is another gift inside as well,鈥 Glenn said.
Santos and his fianc茅 were touched by the gift as well as the generosity of 糖心传媒 and its associates, who helped make his dream of homeownership come true.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have words. Thank you so much,鈥 Santos said.
By Bernie Mixon