Dane and Peggy are a warm, friendly couple who live with their 13-year-old cat, Petey, who is still a playful ball of energy despite his old age.  The two have no trouble staying active with their many interests.  Together, they enjoy going to the movies, though with COVID-19, that hobby has slowed down.  Dane loves to play golf and express his creativity by making Tik Tok videos where he sings or does impressions, while Peggy likes to scrapbook, paint and do all things crafty.  They have a shared interest in scary movies and are excited for Halloween later this month!

Dane spends many of his days at the store where he works, doing a little bit of everything but primarily helping fulfill online orders.  He and Peggy live in an older rental home, which leads to very high utility bills.  “We are paying a lot for the house we are currently in,” Dane shares.  “And once the shared sewage system backed up into our basement, that was the final straw in knowing we needed to move somewhere new.”  Dane is immunocompromised because of a kidney transplant three years ago, so this issue caused major health concerns.  The idea of owning a brand-new home they can take care of themselves while saving money greatly appealed to them.  “It was the 0% interest [on the mortgage] that really got us interested.”

They had learned about Habitat from several friends who had also gone through the homeownership program and spoke highly of the quality of Habitat houses.  “A friend of mine said, ‘You should get a Habitat house, it’s amazing, you might be surprised,’” says Dane.  The couple decided to give it a shot and put in their application.

Now, they are well on their way to becoming our next future homeowners to build in Mt. Vernon, where both their families live.  So far, they have really enjoyed participating in the program and have consistently kept up with their necessary sweat equity hours.  Learning how to tighten up their budget with their budget partner has helped them come up with unique ways to save.  For Dane, it’s been a great experience to participate on the construction sites, as he had been confined due to his frequent dialysis treatments.  “I love to be able to build and use my hands, so building out on the job sites has been really rewarding,” he says. “It’s exciting to know we are actually helping build [our] house. It’s gonna be amazing to help raise our own walls.”

While Peggy and Dane have not selected a lot for their future home yet, this is the next step, and they are already excitedly brainstorming future projects and envisioning their dream home.  The yard will primarily be Dane’s domain to paint the yard barn and tend to the lawn, though both he and Peggy are excited to grow a vegetable garden together. Peggy hopes to use her favorite color, purple, to paint and make the home more beautiful inside.

For everyone involved in the Habitat program, from donors to volunteers, Peggy and Dane have a message: thank you. “We are just so grateful that we get to move into this home, it’s very rewarding,” Dane shares, and Peggy adds “It’s exciting to know this is actually gonna be yours, you’re gonna own something.”  They are eager to continue in the program and start on their future home!