Featured: The Saldana family's story
With a safe, affordable house, one woman can make a difference in dozens of lives
Sara Saldana has raised 21 children — three biological, three adopted and 15 foster — in her Habitat for Humanity house in Lawrence, Massachusetts. In addition, she has served as unofficial mentor, coach and life guide to countless other children in her community. Having her own home allowed her to improve not only her family’s lives, she said, but also dozens of others. Sharon Mason, development director at Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity, finds much to admire about Saldana. “Sara is an exemplary role model for family, friends and community,” Mason said. “She’s a great example of why we build.”
This fall, Saldana’s adopted granddaughter, Tiasha Garcia, will leave home and head to Fitchburg State University. She wants to study criminal justice and psychology so she can help people — a desire she inherited from her grandmother, she said. “I’ve never lived anywhere else except a Habitat house,” Garcia said. “I’m very grateful for the advantages it gave me.”
Read Sara Saldana’s full story.
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About this series
For Habitat, “why” isn’t a question. It’s the answer.
It’s why we build.
More than 1 million people each year lend their hands and hearts, so that Habitat’s “hand-up” approach can be realized. Many give days, months and even lifetimes to our cause, but too few have the chance to see their investment pay dividends in the lives of our partner families.
We hope you will join us as we present 52 stories, a new one each week, to learn more about the houses you help us build and bless — and to learn more about the families who have made them their homes.