Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 10 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
photo by Hannah Reel
New home owner Michelle Mayfield and her family will move into their brand new house this week, thanks to local non-profit Habitat for Humanity. At left, Mayfield thanks local volunteer Nancy McLemore for helping to build her house earlier this year.
Family benefits from aid of non-profit
Published Sunday, November 29, 2009
The road to 34 Claiborne St. hasn’t been easy for Michelle Mayfield. But today, the 38-year-old single mother of three can rejoice in her final destination — a place to call home.
At 2 p.m. today, Natchez-Adams County Habitat for Humanity will dedicate its 13th construction — a three bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom house — to the Mayfields.
Michelle submitted an application to Habitat last year, praying to find suitable housing for son Chauncey, 19, and daughters Jerica, 17, and Destiney, 6.
Their previous house, at 131 Lewis Drive, was on its last legs, and Michelle’s salary as a certified nursing assistant at Promise Hospital in Vidalia barely covers monthly expenses. House repairs were out of the question, and a down economy didn’t help matters much.
Michelle said the said she often tries not to think about the stresses of the economic downturn as gas prices climb and bills stack up. While Michelle considers finding extra part-time work, daughter Jerica plans to enlist in the Army or Air Force after high school as a result of the sputtering job market — another stressor Michelle tries not to think about.
“It’s eating me up,” Michelle said. “I really won’t have anybody left but the little baby.”
Though Michelle didn’t want to get specific, the average certified nursing assistant salary is $8 to $10 per hour.
“We barely make it,” Mayfield said. “I won’t let (the children) see, but I’m having a hard time, especially as a single parent.
“It’s hard because they watch me, and I’ve always got a smile on my face so no one will ever know.”
Only once has Michelle let her guard down in front of her children. It was the day Habitat treasurer/secretary Duncan McFarlane came to the house bearing good news.
“I was sitting on the couch just shaking. I screamed to the top of my lungs,” Michelle said. “And then my baby said, ‘I told you mama! I told you we were gonna get picked!’”
The Mayfields’ joy was eventually followed by misfortune. Michelle put on a brave face once again on Veterans Day, when a fire destroyed the Lewis Drive house.
The family moved in with Michelle’s mother on Ingram Circle, which made for cramped living conditions.
“We lost everything,” Michelle said. “All we had were each other, which is enough for me.
“I hope this experience has taught (the children) this is how life goes. You’re not always going to have (material possessions).
“I have to look at the things we lost as material. You can’t cherish nothing because it’s not yours. It’s not meant to be yours forever. It’s material.”
Since being selected by Habitat, Michelle has devoted her time to building her new house alongside volunteers, and rebuilding a home life for her children.
She has purchased some furniture via layaway — a retail option that has regained popularity since the economy turned sour — and she’s also arranging her down payment and monthly mortgage payments for the new house.
Each Habitat family is required to put in at least 250 hours of “sweat equity,” and Michelle and Jerica have met that quota.
Michelle said the sense of giving among Habitat members, churches, schools and various community organizations such as Youth Build and Delta Sigma Theta have taught her not to turn a blind eye to those are struggling to get back on their feet.
“I’ll be there to help somebody else,” she said. “I’m going to give back whether it be (Habitat) or anything else because I know what it’s like to struggle.
“We’ve waited for this day, and we thank God for it.”
Comments
Posted by Crakalakin (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know this is supposed to be a nice, feel-good story. However, as a renter who struggles to raise a family without help from anyone who watched his single mother make her way without any help, it kind of makes me angry.
Weird. YOu can't afford a house? No worries, we'll build you one. Can afford a house? Tough crap. No loan for you. Try back when you have 25 grand in cash.
Posted by TX2MS90 (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You always angry when the story is not what you want to hear. SHUT UP! I'm glad to read this feel good story. It shows that there are some good people still in Natchez. Now if we can find somewhere to send you all will be better
Posted by nd (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great story it brought tears to my eyes.
Posted by sandra (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
perhaps habitat will be a welcoming asset for the small city of Natchez. they are having a very negative impact on the city of Nashville. the neighborhoods behind my house that habitat has created are over-populated with row-type houses that are made of siding instead of brick. our city projects lasted 75 years with simple maintenance because of the durability and lasting essence effect of brick. the only thing that destroyed the projects were thugs and drugs. habitat has created segregated neighborhoods populating all re-zoned schools with blacks over here and whites over there. when one class of people are grouped together there is not much chance of any "upward mobility". it definitely has to come from within. i saw the heart-warming movie, Gifted Hands. all schools should show it. i especially liked the "look" that one white lady on the school stage gave the other white lady who got up and made a derogatory statement at graduation time. no one spoke out against her, however, and even though the "look" didn't ease tensions, it did have a slight impact on me, just knowing that we are not alone.
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Where is a father figure? When are young men going to take responsibility for their actions?
Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cry me a river.
All decent people have no problem helping those that are deserving of a good home and 3 hot meals per day. There was an individual that recently posted a response to a " Habitat" article in the Natchez Democrat. He had been busting his butt to help construct such a "Habitat house" , when the future "home owners" drove up in a brand new 2009 Cadillac Escalade. They Laughed about their new government house and then drove off . Go get em' Jimmy Carter !
Yeah, how bout' that for "sweat equity" .
Hardcorps: In answer your question, they will never take responsibility.
Sandra : Please expand on what you mean by the "white look" .
" The Blacks hate me because I'm White, the Whites hate me because I'm poor - God Bless America. "
My new favorite quote by Mushroom05
Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 6:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sandra,
Another question :
Please explain the : " lasting essence effect of brick ".
Huh ????? Essence of brick in Natchez ?
The essence of brick is crumbling off buildings and fall'n on people's heads down on Main Street .
Posted by Crakalakin (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, TX2MS90, what makes her housing needs more important than the next person? Most of us have to rent because we don't have people to build us houses. What is wrong with renting, like people are supposed to do when they can't afford to buy a house? That's what everybody else has to do.
Here's the deal. Being lower middle-class is the worst place to be on the economic strata. You have to live by the credit and income rules of the upper middle class and do not qualify for all the charity and federal assistance that the poor get. We have to pay for our houses. If we can't afford the massive down payment or are disqualified by the strict new requirements, we rent. There is no Habitat for Humanity for us.
So, yes, I tend to get a little miffed when my tax dollars (no refunds for us) support the "poor" who live better than I do. And before anybody says it, yes, HforH does get federal and state tax money in the form of grants and other mechanisms.
Posted by sandra (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i used the word 'white' ladies who were on stage at ben's graduation in the movie, Gifted Hands. re-read my post. next.
no matter how long ago nashville's buildings were constructed, the bricks are mortared, perfectly, to withstand the test of time. your falling bricks may be an indication of poor brick-laying techniques, weather conditions, cement products, etc. the buildings here have to be blasted when demolition time comes.
Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 5:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Down on this end of the Trace, we're prohibited from demolishing anything. So our preferred method is "demolition by neglect". Although we did have a mayor that had a "historic pecan factory" bulldozed a few years ago. The garden club ladies we fainting all over town. Reminded me of Aunt Pitty-Pat in "Gone with the Wind".
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)