HOPE FOR TOMORROW
By Tilly Grey

In the December 1995/January 1996 issue, Habitat World introduced readers to the Taylor family from White Cloud, Mich. At that time, Ted, Karen and their two children, Kristin and Charley, had been living in their Habitat house for nearly three years. Karen was struggling with the debilitating effects of leukemia - an ailment diagnosed five years earlier - and Ted worked as a cook at the Newaygo County Day Care Center.

	TED AND KAREN TAYLOR; KRISTIN; CHARLEY White Cloud, Mich. Charley hardly remembers the old movile home his fmaily once lived in. Now he takes it for granted that his friends will come over to play after classes. His mom says: "If it was just Ted and me, we could live anywhere.  But I dont think there is a child alive who doesn't deserve to have a good place to live.

It's Saturday night and the Taylors are going out to eat in White Cloud, Mich. They also are cooking the food, waiting the tables, washing the dishes and counting the receipts at Taylor's Chalet, the restaurant they bought in 1998. "It's a family-style place. All-you-can-eat seafood buffet, barbecue ribs, sandwiches, steaks and a breakfast buffet," Ted Taylor says.

Times have been hard for the Taylors, but faith-in God, their community, family and friends-has seen them through. "I always felt we would make it," says Ted. "But it was so, so hard."

They became prospective Habitat for Humanity homeowners in 1992. The affiliate helped them renovate a 1950s brick house originally used as a real estate office. Following the structure's eight-mile move on wheels and substantial renovations, the Taylors purchased the three-bedroom house for $37,000.

"For me, the biggest thing that has been restored is my self-esteem," Ted says. "We were buying a big old house and lost it when Karen was diagnosed [with leukemia] and we both had to leave our jobs. We moved into a small, musty mobile home. My self-esteem was so low that I didn't want anyone to know where we were living. Now I love to invite people over for a meal. I feel like an asset to the community. When you drive by our place you don't see that ugly, old thing; you see this beautiful, brick house."

Newaygo County HFH has built 14 houses in White Cloud, four of which are in the Taylors' neighborhood. "People have fixed up their mobile homes, cleaned up their yards and one family even was inspired to buy a new double-wide," says Karen. "The whole place looks better."

"Habitat definitely can [change the world]," says Ted. "From what I've seen, Habitat homeowners seem to walk a little taller and take such pride in the appearance of their homes and yards that it affects the whole area. With Habitat there is a domino effect. This person takes pride in himself, and then that one does."

Life for the Taylors today still revolves around Karen's health, and the new restaurant takes a great deal of time. But they remain active members of Newaygo HFH. Ted serves on the board; Karen serves on the family selection committee. And, they helped start a homeowners association.

"It takes over after you build your house to help with things like landscaping and being a support group," Karen says. "Homeowners pay $2 per month in dues. One thing we've done is adopt a four-mile stretch of highway, and it really makes me feel good when I see people go out and clean up the highway."

Ted says the homeowners association was another way to give back. "How can you not want to give back?" he asks. "Before, I never thought of volunteering. I never thought I had anything anybody else could need. I thought volunteers were a special breed of people-not people like me. I learned with Habitat anyone can volunteer and make a difference. Now I know there are thousands of things a person like me can do."

But, say the Taylors, the best thing about becoming part of Habitat is the friendships they have made with other Habitat volunteers.

"I can't imagine life without these people now," Ted says. "They never judged us or looked down on us. In fact, it was a couple we met through Habitat who loaned us the deposit for the restaurant. You see all the people working with Habitat who have jobs and places to live, and yet they are helping to alleviate poverty." "Before people helped us buy the restaurant," Karen says, "Ted had little or no chance to own his own place." This year, the Taylors have even been able to afford some luxuries they never thought would be possible when Karen was sick and times were so bad.

"We actually took a vacation, drove to Walt Disney World in Florida, and spent two days on a boat," Karen says. And this family has not stopped dreaming. "I'd like to enlarge the restaurant someday or buy another one in a busier location," Ted says.

"Habitat was a stepping stone for us," says Karen. "Once one good thing happened, we saw all our dreams coming true."


Tilly Grey is Habitat for Humanity International's Africa/Middle East area correspondent, and is a frequent contributor to Habitat World.


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, December/January 2000.
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©1999 Habitat for Humanity International