PALM COAST, Fla. – For Nubia Coleman and her children, Friday was more than moving day. It was the beginning of a new chapter — one built through nearly two years of patience, hard work and a determination to create a permanent place her growing family can call home.
And for Habitat for Humanity of Flagler County Executive Director Devrie Paradowski, Coleman’s home dedication marked a full-circle moment nearly two decades in the making.
Coleman officially became a Habitat homeowner August 21, surrounded by family members, volunteers, community partners and many of the people who helped turn a dream of homeownership into reality.
“It’s very exciting,” Coleman said. “The kids are very excited. I’m excited. It’s unexplainable.”
Coleman is raising four children — three girls and a boy — and is expecting her fifth child. Now, each has a place to grow, decorate and make their own. Two of her daughters will share a room, while her oldest daughter and son will each have their own rooms.
Getting to this day, however, required commitment.
Coleman said the Habitat process took approximately two years, including about a year and a half completing sweat equity requirements. While there was plenty to do along the way, she said the effort was worth it.
Her advice for others dreaming of homeownership is simple, do the work and don’t give up.
“If you want something that’s forever, I would say, put the work in,” Coleman said, adding that the reward at the end makes the effort worthwhile.
Her grandmother, Myrna Shropshire, watched Friday’s celebration with pride.
“She’s worked so hard in trying to do things for herself,” Shropshire said. “This is a big accomplishment for her, to have her own home.”
A Full-Circle First for Habitat’s New Executive Director
The dedication was especially meaningful for Paradowski, who stepped into the executive director position in April. Coleman’s dedication was her first since taking the helm of Habitat for Humanity of Flagler County — and the story behind the home connected directly to her own.
Paradowski knows firsthand what it means to stand where Coleman stood Friday.
She became a Habitat homeowner herself in 2009.
Even more remarkably, a sponsor that supported Coleman’s home — Pioneer Appliance Company — had also supported Paradowski’s Habitat home.
“This home had a very special meaning for me,” Paradowski said. “I was a Habitat homeowner. We had some contributors that contributed to this home, Pioneer Appliances, and they were the same one that contributed to my home.”
For Paradowski, presiding over her first home dedication as executive director under those circumstances brought her Habitat journey full circle.
“It was an honor for me to have my very first dedication as executive director to have that same thing come full circle for me,” she said.
Years ago, Paradowski was the Habitat homeowner benefiting from the generosity of sponsors, volunteers and a community willing to invest in a family’s future. On Friday, she stood on the other side of that partnership, helping another mother experience the same life-changing milestone.
And she sees in Coleman exactly why Habitat’s work matters.
“She’s just like a breath of fresh air. She has a beautiful family and she’s a hard worker,” Paradowski said. “I can see that what we’re doing is allowing people to reach their dreams.”
More Than Building a House
During the dedication, Paradowski emphasized that Habitat’s impact extends far beyond the walls of an individual house.
A family putting down roots creates connections to schools, neighbors and the larger community, she said. That stability becomes an investment whose benefits can continue for years.
“This family, they’re going to live here in this community. Their children will be learning here, they will be making vital connections here in this community,” Paradowski said, describing homeownership as a long-term return on the community’s investment both economically and socially.
The home was made possible through many hands, including construction and ReStore volunteers, businesses, nonprofit organizations, community partners and Epic Church.
Longtime Habitat supporters continue to play an important role as well. Michelle Stout of First Source Builders shared that her company has worked with Habitat for more than 20 years, providing donated locks and significant discounts on materials including lumber and windows.
Asked why that commitment continues, her answer was straightforward: “Love helping people.”
During the ceremony, volunteers who put countless hours into the build were recognized, Coleman received a symbolic golden hammer as a reminder of the work invested in her home, and Lowe’s provided a housewarming gift filled with items to help the family get started. The home was also recognized through the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Florida Water Star program.
Epic Church offered a blessing over the family and their new home, with the dedication reflecting on the difference between constructing a house and creating a home — a place ultimately filled with love, laughter, conversations, celebrations, forgiveness, memories and faith.
Then came the moment Coleman had worked toward for nearly two years: the presentation of the keys.
Standing inside the home that now belongs to her family, Coleman thanked everyone who had walked beside them.
“Me and my children, we appreciate absolutely everything,” she said. “Everybody has been a great support and a great help during this time. It was a process, but it was a process that was needed, and we’re just grateful.”
For one family, those keys opened the door to stability and a future of memories yet to be made.
