Duke University Hospital Welcomes Family to Habitat Home
The house in Durham is the second Habitat home the DUH team has helped seed and build
Duke University Hospital President Kevin Sowers and several DUH team members – along with the team from Durham Habitat for Humanity – gathered March 11 to welcome the Htoo family to their new Habitat home.
The house, located on Elm Street in Durham, is the second Habitat home for which the DUH team has seeded the money and worked together to build.
Instead of making down payments, Habitat homebuyers must put in sweat equity, working on their own homes and on other local builds. Reasonably priced mortgages make the dream of home ownership attainable, and constructing these family-friendly dwellings often results in a decrease in crime and an increase in property value in the areas in which Habitat builds.
The Htoos came to the U.S. from Burma in pursuit of religious freedom. Saw Htoo often worked on his new home four days a week – more frequently than any other program participant. Many from DUH also pitched in over the past several months, building sheds, constructing porches and working alongside Saw, his family members, and other Habitat volunteers to complete the build in a very short time.
During the March 11 home dedication event, Vice President for Emergency Services Jessica Melton – whose family spent time living in Burma when she was a child – presented the Htoos with a painting by a famous Burmese artist. Chief Medical Officer Lisa Pickett, MD, presented Theresa Htoo, who is just over a year old, with a Duke teddy bear. A representative from Book Harvest gave the child a dollhouse-shaped bookshelf and plenty of books to jumpstart a love of reading. In addition, Habitat Executive Director Blake Strayhorn presented Sowers with a plaque in honor of the DUH team’s second Habitat build.
To conclude the special event, the Duke team joined the family for the first meal in their new home. Duke Hospital provided breakfast foods, and Saw made platters of sushi.
“Thanks to all the Duke Hospital team members who worked together to make this special day possible for the Htoo family,” Sowers said. “We sincerely wish them much happiness in their new home.”