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40 Years of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg: The Story of Our First Homebuyer

Forty years ago, a simple yet powerful vision took root in the Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg community—a vision that everyone has a decent, affordable place to call home. What started as a small, faith-driven initiative in 1985 has since grown into a transformative movement, providing 233 forever homes to families in need.

As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we honor the families who have built brighter futures through homeownership—starting with our very first Habitat homeowner, Gloria.

A Mother’s Dream for Her Son

Gloria always dreamed of owning a home—not just for herself, but for her young son, Wendell.

“My son had always told me, ‘Mommy, I want a dog,’” Gloria said. “But in an apartment, it’s hard for a child to have a dog. I wanted him to be raised in a home with a backyard.”

In 1987, that dream became reality.

A Chance Announcement That Changed Everything

Gloria first heard about Habitat for Humanity during church announcements. A letter was read aloud, explaining how a new organization was working to help families purchase homes with affordable mortgages.

“I asked my father about it. He said, ‘What do you have to lose?’”

Gloria wrote down the phone number, made the call—and as she puts it, the rest is history.

More Than a House—A Life-Changing Experience

From the very beginning, Gloria understood that Habitat for Humanity was about partnership, not just handouts.

“Habitat helps you, but you have to help yourself,” she explains. “You had to do something to get the house. Your credit had to be right, you had to be able to afford the house payments, and you had to be able to keep up with taxes and insurance.”

She also learned what it meant to truly take ownership—literally helping build the house she would live in.

A Forever Home

Nearly four decades later, Gloria still lives in the same home she moved into back in 1987.

“That’ll be my forever home,” she said with a smile.

And as for Wendell’s dream of having a dog?

Well, that didn’t quite go as planned.

“He brought this scraggly-looking dog home one day,” Gloria laughs. “I said, ‘What is that?’ He said, ‘That’s my dog, Mommy! I found me a dog!’ And I said, ‘You better take that dog back to where you found it from!’”

The dog didn’t last long, but Wendell did get other pets—like fish. And most importantly, he got the home his mother had always hoped for.

Celebrating 40 Years of Building Homes and Hope

Gloria’s story is just one of many that illustrate the lasting impact of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.

Watch Gloria’s full story here.

For 40 years, we’ve built homes, communities, and hope—together. But our work is far from done.

Will you be part of the next chapter?

Learn how you can volunteer here.

Make a donation to our efforts here. Be sure to shop at our ReStores in Newport News, Williamsburg and Yorktown.