Welcome to the Walnut Neighborhood.
I can't wait to sit and look out that front window
and just look out into our new neighborhood
and say oh my gosh, we’re finally here.
Sitting outside here in the summer is going to be amazing.
Just looking out at the kids
playing in the yard, walking our puppy here pretty soon.
I grew up in Waterloo Iowa.
I wasn’t born here. but I was raised here so I say this is my foundation.
My kids were so ecstatic to even be going through this process.
Thanks for taking time out of your day.
I appreciate it.
Happy to do it.
Tell me about Habitat’s partnership with Amanda.
Amanda came into our program,
she was really struggling to be able to afford to purchase
a home on her own. So Habitat was her option at that point
for home ownership which is something we deeply desired.
What I love about Habitat is that they provide a step by step tangible way for people
to accomplish and achieve their dreams.
For viewers who might not know how Habitat works,
how does the process take hold?
It is a partnership every step of the way so they commit to doing 300 hours of sweat
equity as part of this. They take ten weeks of home buyer education classes
and then at the end of all of that,
basically after usually eighteen to twenty four months,
the family is purchasing the home from Habitat.
We turn into the lender at that point so we give them a zero percent
or very low interest loan
and then they pay that back to Habitat basically over the course of you
know twenty to thirty years or however long it takes to pay off their mortgage.
Lots of people want to own their own home, but they don’t know how to go about that
and Habitat provides such a step-by-step way, supporting and walking with the family from
the very beginning so the completion which is so awesome.
And then you’ve got people from the community
like John Deere like other organizations coming
together to help volunteer and support that new homeowner.
We just see a lot of community being built here.
Why is the relationship between John Deere and Habitat for Humanity so important?
We are the one of the largest employers in this community and it is important that this
community continues to thrives and we support the underserved.
And Habitat here has one of the best strategies going into neighborhoods
that are actually surrounds some of our key factories
and continue to rebuild them, help provide jobs, and help create an environment so that this
community can thrive and be successful in the future.
Sometimes people think about Habitat and them bringing one home to a neighborhood and one new homeowner
but in the Walnut Neighborhood they have really focused their efforts and it’s a target neighborhood
so we see two houses, four houses, eight houses, fourteen houses going up
and it’s making such an impact and it’s so transformative. We’re so excited
to have them here in the neighborhood with us.
I moved here in this neighborhood in 1960 and hopefully that is what Habitat will do
with building those houses and bring families. Not just people, but families. And that way
its going to be a neighborhood that people hold together.
What is this house going to give you that you haven’t had before?
It’s going to give me foundation. I feel like the whole home is my sanctuary place
so I feel like this home is going to give me and my kids peace of mind knowing this
is ours and ours forever. To have this main home for my kids was like something I was working really hard for.
We make great products and we also have a responsibility to make great communities.
Right. Exactly. It’s almost as important for what we build inside for our customers
to what we can build outside in our communities and partner with Habitat and they are really
doing a nice job moving that forward.
To know that there are still good people coming together to help one another that just like
warms your heart.
Habitat is a blessing in disguise. Yes, yes it is.
Sleeping in my house the very first night to know all that hard work, all the house,
the dedication, it just like done and now it is just finally ours.
You’ve opened a big, huge door to our future. I think this home is out biggest blessing.