Twas the week before Christmas when the Dyess We Care Team and Habitat for Humanity joined forces to help a local family in need. However this project was different from the majority of WCT projects which typically involve applying a much needed new coat of paint, bringing new life into and existing home. This particular project involved tearing down a home which had been destroyed during a recent fire.
In early October, a mother and her three kids were left homeless after their father set their home on fire. The city had condemned the home. The remainder of the home needed to be torn down along with the lot cleared by the end of the year.
“I’m standing here with nothing,” Monica Chavarria said with tears in her eyes.
Her ex-husband set fire to their family home.
She and her three kids were left with nothing, but that didn’t stop her from remaining joyful.
“I have my treasures and my freedom and my children,” she exclaimed. “That I can go to my dad and I have y’all(her kids).”
“Projects like this that affect a family,” said Gordon Storey, director of the Dyess WCT, “I think really hit at the heart strings of military members.”
The project lasted three days. The airmen and habitat volunteers worked tirelessly to wipe the slate clean for this family.
“Being able to help out the community that supports us so much,” added Cody Goetz, a Dyess Airmen. “It’s great to be able to give back and offer up some of the time we have.”
While working, the clean up crew found several items lost in the fire, like the cell phones of Monica and her kids.
“You can just see it in her eyes how appreciative she is and I think that’s enough Christmas for me,” said Gordon Storey. “When you can share a little bit of the seasonal spirit with someone else you’ve never met.”
Funds from a love offering that was recently collected during the Mark Preston concert were used to purchase a trailer full of Christmas gifts for the family, including a new table to put in their new home when it is built.
The Dyess WCT is still accepting donations to help get the family back on their feet. Checks can be made to Dyess We Care Team and subject Monica Chavarria, PO Box 9957 Dyess AFB TX 79607.