In 2024, Manatee County Habitat for Humanity is celebrating its 30th anniversary. During that time, our church family has been blessed to support the construction of four Habitat Faith Build homes – three of which have been built in the past 5 years.

UPC is proud of our involvement with Habitat, donating over $10,000 from our budget for the cost of these homes and volunteering time at workdays during the building process. We were thrilled to be included in the dedication of the most recent Faith Build home for Viviana and her son Daniel on September 12th.

Originally from Columbia and speaking no English, Viviana moved to the U.S. at 21 years old. As a young single mother of two, she worked as a teacher assistant in a daycare for 15 years while pursuing an associate degree in early childhood education. Landing her dream job in 2020 at Step Up Suncoast, she now serves others as a parent educator, helping Spanish-speaking families with child development and other resources.

Recently, Viviana was accepted into Manatee Habitat and her efforts, sweat equity plus classes on financial literacy and basic home repair, have led to the opportunity to provide a forever home for her family. As Viviana accepted the keys to her new home, it was heartwarming to see the impact our involvement in this program has had in the lives of others. We look forward to continuing our support of Manatee County Habitat for Humanity in the years to come.