Tracie VanHook's Dedication Speech

Thank you for coming to support our family. Thank you to Habitat for partnering with our family, to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for your generous contribution to the project, to all the volunteers who came to work on our home, and my many friends and family who came out and contributed many hours of sweat equity.

As a young woman, my life plan was to raise a healthy family and live happily ever after. Things didn't go quite that way; "real" life happened, including hard times, disappointments, struggles, and fear.

My sons and I lived in Oakland and moved here four years ago. Oakland was a very challenging place to live. There was a lot of crime, drugs, gang violence, murders and prostitution, and my sons had to walk through all of this to get back and forth to school. It was cool to be smart at home and okay to be smart at school but not so cool to be smart on the way to and from school. I was blessed with a job in Menlo Park and moved my family to East Palo Alto. Unfortunately, we have been burglarized a total of four times since we've been here, including three times within the last 10 months. I tell me sons that it's not personal; we are not the ones with the problem, but we still have to continue to do God's will. We have to continue to do what's right.

I have awesome, amazing sons and I am very proud of them. When they were small, I remember thinking that they were just like sponges and I better find some good stuff to give them. They were the motivation for most of my decisions and I really wanted to be able to raise them in a safe environment that would allow them to just be 15 and 17.

I am proud to be a part of the NRP program. I like that it's about rebuilding communities. This happens to be our neighborhood. Lawrence went to school at Beechwood when he was in middle school and now we have the opportunity to be a part of it.

I feel as though my family has grown by being a part of the [NRP] program. All I had to do was to ask my friends and family and they rose to the occasion. They were here getting paint in their hair and caulk under their nails. They dug holes, built fences, got dirty, worked very hard and all with smiles on their faces. So we are all a part of this home, which makes it even better.

And Habitat, I have fallen in love with you! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to own our first home.

I'm excited to say to you welcome to the VanHook residence. Welcome to our home. So stop by for a cup of sugar or have a cup of tea with me. I am excited to say this is our home.

Thank you so much!!

Tracie VanHook is the first homeowner of Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization Program.