Nichole Foutz and her three children Aaliyah, 7, Donnell, 6 and Ayden, 2, will soon enjoy having a house they can call their own and a backyard where the kids and their dog, Cocoa, can play. They currently live in a 2 bedroom, 800 sq. ft. apartment with no backyard.
“We move every year and I am looking forward to not having to move,” she said.
Nichole was raised in a house in Tucson since moving from Pennsylvania in the 5th grade and she wants the same stability for her children.
Nichole was at work as a dispatcher when she received the call that she had been accepted to receive a house. She started crying and when she told her co-workers, they hugged her and started crying also. Nichole then called her mother who works at the school where her children also attend school. Her mother got Aaliyah and Donnell on the phone and Aaliyah’s first comments were ”Are we moving today?”
After working all day, Nichole goes to help on the construction site to help build Habitat houses, doing everything from painting to helping get the house ready for the stucco. While she is volunteering, her children’s father, Donnell, helps take care of the kids. Nichole also has the support of her 16-year-old sister, Shelby, who has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity too.
Nichole says, “I’m exhausted but it will be worth it. Everything I do is for my children and I want them to be happy.”
By Kathy Bell