Twenty-one area Lutheran churches from three Lutheran chapters participated in the build.  Over the past 2 ½ months, volunteers donated more than 4,000 hours to complete the first of two Thrivent Builds homes in Collin County.  Another TBH home will begin construction in McKinney in September.   The Young family completed 400 hours of “sweat equity” helping to build their home, a basic tenet of Habitat for Humanity, and will repay a no-profit mortgage, illustrating Habitat for Humanity’s objective to give families a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.”

Eiron is a descendant of the Thomas family, one of the earliest families to settle in the Douglass Community.   She is the niece of Ben Thomas and granddaughter of James Thomas, one of the founding members of the community and Plano’s first African American fireman.  James Thomas is featured on the Douglass Community mural entitled “Tracks of Our Past and Future”.  Eiron had previously lived outside of the neighborhood, but wanted to return to her roots and wanted her son to grow up in the Douglass Community, surrounded by family members.  She hopes that Cameron will develop an appreciation for his family’s sense of culture and community.  By partnering with Thrivent and Habitat to in Douglass, Eiron has returned home.