ORLANDO – As more than a dozen volunteers were painting the exterior of her soon-to-be home and while another handful of helpers were working on indoor construction projects, a grateful and elated Shawntia Benton began envisioning all the wonderful things she has to look ahead to.
Beyond just thinking about how she is going to furnish the inside of the three-bedroom home or brainstorming some ideas for the front lawn and backyard, the 25-year-old is ecstatic knowing she is about to move to a safe neighborhood where she and her two sons can be happy and healthy.
This momentous change in the Syracuse, N.Y. native’s life was made possible thanks to Habitat for Humanity and contributions from the Orlando Magic and Jewett Orthopaedic. Volunteers from each organization spent a big portion of Thursday helping assemble the Apopka-based residence.
“I am so excited,” said Benton, who moved to the Orlando area in 2010 and was pregnant with her second child while doing most of her sweat equity hours required for all Habitat for Humanity candidates. “When I was told the Magic picked my lot, I was really excited and I am blessed because I came from a long way. From a bad background, I’ve been in foster care, I’ve been switching houses to houses. Now that I can have my own house, it means something to me.”
Beaming from ear to ear because of how much better the conditions are around this house compared to where she has lived in the past, Benton is confident the relocation is exactly what her sons need to flourish in school, develop lifelong hobbies and passions and form positive relationships with others.
“Both of my boys are going to grow up in a nice, beautiful house,” she said. “They will have their own room. We won’t have to share no more. We have more space. My son is going to be here later and he is going to be so excited to meet everyone.”
As anyone who’s ever played on a sports team of any level knows, athletes need as many resources as possible to excel. From the equipment used to where a team trains and practices, a successful sports journey starts with a strong foundation of assets.
Habitat for Humanity sees this the same way when it comes to other aspects of life, which is why they go above and beyond to help families and children reposition for optimal success.
“We see this regularly where people’s lives dramatically change when they become a habitat homeowner,” said Mary Alice Fish, a development officer at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando & Osceola County. “We are thrilled to have an organization like the Magic and their partners like Jewett come to habitat and offer to, in fact, not just financially support this but support this with their resources of time and talent.”
Just days away from the start of their 30th anniversary season, the Magic, along with their partners such as Jewett, are more proud than ever to be champions of the community and bring tremendous joy to the lives of others.
“Let’s go way, way back when Mr. (Rich) DeVos purchased this team, he said ‘we will be in the community’ and we are in the community,” said Nick Anderson, who played for the Magic for 10 seasons and assisted with Thursday’s home construction. “This is what it’s all about, lending a helping hand and doing what we do best. This is what the Orlando Magic organization is all about.”
“We are happy to be here, happy to partner on and off the court with the Magic to give back to a community that’s given us so much,” Jewett Vice President of Marketing Allan Sansom said. “Jewett Orthopaedic has actually been with the Magic since day one and since day one we want to keep our community in the game.”