HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK: Three Families to Celebrate Habitat’s New Homes of Hope with Dedications at 2 p.m. Today and Tomorrow at Cornerstone Creek

-HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK-

Three Families to Celebrate Habitat’s New Homes of Hope with Dedications at 2 p.m. Today and Tomorrow at Cornerstone Creek

Volunteers to Frame Two Habitat Houses at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025, on Donated Church Land in The Village

OKLAHOMA CITY — Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity (COHFH) will celebrate the strength and perseverance of three dedicated single mothers—Marla B., Shvyansty “Shy” A. and Hollie C.—as they receive the keys to their new affordable Habitat houses during home dedications this week at Cornerstone Creek.

Volunteers are also scheduled to start framing two future homes in The Village at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-20, in Oklahoma City.

Marla B.: Resilience and Faith Drive a Mother of Three Toward Financial Stability

COHFH’s first home dedication this week will be for new homeowner, Marla B., a customer care representative and single mother of three, at 2 p.m. TODAY, Sept. 17, 2025, in Cornerstone Creek, Oklahoma City.

Marla stated in her COHFH home application that she raised her children—Dallas, Journee, and Eian—all now pre-adolescents (between the ages of 11 and 14) — in a crowded rental while working to create financial stability.

She added that buying a Habitat home “will significantly improve our financial well-being,” allowing her to save for her family’s future.

“I have faced numerous hardships, but one experience that truly shaped me was my children,” Marla wrote. “I was determined to create a better life for us. I have worked tirelessly to provide, and this experience instilled in me a profound sense of resilience and an unwavering belief in the power of hard work.”

Today, Marla’s determination and hard work will pay off when she and her family celebrate the dedication of her new home with Habitat staff, local clergy and members of the community.

Childhood Dream Becomes Reality as Shy Opens Her Habitat Door

In her Habitat home application, new homeowner Shvyansty “Shy” A. stated that when she was a little girl, she remembers watching COHFH Chair/CEO Ann Felton Gilliland appear in TV commercials.

“Seeing Ann on TV since I was a little kid, I knew about Habitat homes,” Shy wrote. “I’ve worked so hard to call one mine. It is my dream in life—my goal!”

Shy, the mother of two grown sons and a teenage daughter, Ke’zira, works as a housekeeper for the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Since returning to Oklahoma in 2017, she and her daughter have moved seven times in search of affordable housing.

“My daughter is about to start high school, and it has been a struggle to find a good neighborhood,” Shy stated. “Buying a Habitat home will provide my family with the stability and growth needed to reach our future goals. I believe hard work pays off and that it’s important never to give up – we are truly blessed.”

After Loss and Struggle, Hollie Finds Strength and Security

For Hollie C., a divorced single mother, stability slipped away after her landlord of 13 years passed away. She wrote in our Habitat application that her landlord had kept her rent affordable because, as she recalled, “he knew money was tight.” After his death, she faced rental prices nearly double what she had been paying.

Hollie stated that she considered buying a home years ago, but could only afford houses in poor condition. She looked into Habitat but did not yet meet the qualifications. Determined to improve her circumstances, she earned a degree in cybersecurity and secured a promotion at LexisNexis that made Habitat homeownership possible.

“God’s timing is always right,” Hollie said. “Not being at the mercy of future rent hikes has relieved my fears and given me hope for the future. My daughter and I are deeply grateful to all the volunteers and donors who have made homeownership possible for us in a beautiful new home, situated in a fantastic and safe neighborhood. God bless you all!”

Her daughter, Kayla, will now be able to complete high school in a stable environment. Hollie added she plans to continue volunteering to “pay the blessings forward.”

Community Spotlight: Volunteers to Frame Two Habitat Houses at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, 2025, in The Village

You can’t blame COHFH Chair/CEO Ann Felton Gilliland for describing the dual home framing scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, at 10621 Major Ave. in The Village as a “blessed event.”

“We are thrilled to be able to begin building two of the three homes we plan to construct on the lots of land donated in The Village about three years ago by Our Lord’s Lutheran Church,” Felton Gilliland said. “I guess you could call it a ‘blessed event’ because building these affordable homes has been a long time coming. Additionally, we’ve been doubly blessed by the church and its volunteers, as well as the help and support of Johnson & Associates LLC. They’re all coming out to help frame these homes on Friday and Saturday.”

COHFH collaborated with the Village, a small, independent city in the Oklahoma City metro area, to extend sewer lines and implement other improvements to address concerns raised at public meetings within the community.

Johnson & Associates LLC., COHFH’s civil engineering firm, not only made required changes to the final plat to address residents’ concerns but also did so free of charge. The firm’s employees and owners also contributed more than $43,400 to help build a detention pond on the property.

“COHFH is grateful to our volunteers and supporters from Our Lord’s Lutheran Church, Johnson & Associates and The Village,” she said. “Thanks to them, three new families will soon be able to call this small, affordable housing community home.”

To get involved, visit: www.cohfh.org

To volunteer, visit: www.helpmyhabitat.com

To donate, visit: www.cohfh.org/make-a-donation/ or text makehomehappen to 50155 to give now.