Andrea Blackstone, 42, cries in the living room of her new Smyrna home Thursday morning. The Habitat for Humanity house was constructed for Blackstone, who works two jobs while looking after three children, four grandchildren and her mother. / Staff-Shaddi Abusaid
(Marietta Daily Journal, 06/30/2017) By Shaddi Abusaid, sabusaid@mdjonline.com
SMYRNA — There wasn’t a dry eye in sight Thursday morning as Andrea Blackstone, a single 42-year-old mother and grandmother, was handed the keys to her first home.
The single-story house was built in less than three months by scores of volunteers looking to give the hard-working mother a “hand up” and a new lease on life. Her family was given the chance to start anew as a result of a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and national insurance company Assurant, which teamed up to build the new home along Pat Mell Road. Originally from Memphis, Blackstone works two jobs while looking after three children, four grandchildren and her mother.
Choking back tears of joy, she thanked both Habitat for Humanity and Assurant for making her dream of owning a home a reality.
Holding her 2-year-old granddaughter under one arm, she told the staff their hard work has forever changed her family’s life.
“Thank you,” she cried. “You are the financial backing that made this possible for us. Without you guys, none of this this would be possible.”
Blackstone, who works for General Electric and has a part-time job at Walmart, purchased the home from Habitat with the help of a 25-year, zero-interest loan.
But she put her fair share of work into building the house, which months ago was nothing more than a slab of concrete on the ground, volunteers said.
She said she helped them landscape the entire yard just to prove she was as dedicated and hardworking as they were, even though she didn’t have much experience gardening.
“I never wanted to take the easy way out because life has always given me challenges,” she said. “The challenges haven’t always been easy, but somehow I always persevere through them.”
Blackstone described the experience of using a shovel to dig through the tough ground in the heat, laughing that every time she turned around, someone was there to offer her more water.
“We will surely enjoy this place, and I just thank you all so much,” she said. Her voice quivered slightly as she used her free hand to wipe the tears from her face.
Shawn Kahle, who heads the Assurant Foundation, said she’s proud of her company’s employees for making a difference in the communities where they live and work.
She said Assurant has been building homes with Habitat for Humanity for about 20 years, adding the Blackstones’ new home was the 16th they’ve built in the state.
“The smiles, the love, the compassion — that’s why we do this,” Kahle said, “It’s all about the human connection.”
Assurant Operation Manager David Diggs said there’s nothing better than watching someone who’s worked hard their entire life pick up the keys to their brand new home.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he said.
“Especially when you see someone like Andrea, who works several jobs supporting her mom and her children and grandchildren — it’s just amazing.”
Blackstone said she never expected anything so great to happen to her or her family.
“A co-worker told me about the program and for a long time, I tried to tough it out,” she said. “But then when it got too much to bear, I figured I’d give it a shot.”
Carol Sullivan, the board chair of Habitat’s Northwest Metro Atlanta chapter, said there are few people in this world who understand what a privilege it is to own their own home.
“It’s wonderful that they can open the door to a whole new life and a feeling of belonging and stability. This is a multigenerational family, and she’s really the core of that,” Sullivan said. “She’s the embodiment of the American dream — you work hard and good things happen.”
