When Siouxzen entered the Habitat program, her and her two children were sharing a space with her mother. “We had no room, and it was an uncontrolled environment. Now with our Habitat home, we have space to move. It is so much easier to have a sterile and controlled space for Amor’e.”

Siouxzen’s daughter, Amor’e, has cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair to get around. Amor’e is a “happy-go-lucky” eight year old who loves to ride her trike, watch SpongeBob and only wants to experience a normal life. Her seven year old brother, Leland, is the best little brother and loves video games, Batman and Legos.

“When I found out I was accepted into the Habitat program, I cried. It’s like all of my dreams became true. I loved the thought of the children having their own space, and having wheelchair accessibility.”

The Coppola’s closed on their home in February of this year. Special thanks to Lokey Charities for sponsoring this family’s home.

Now, with the current pandemic, stability has a whole new meaning.

“I am an essential worker, and work every day with a mask and gloves so I can stay healthy when I come home. It’s a blessing and a curse to be an essential worker right now, because I have the income to pay my mortgages, but I still risk a lot with Amor’e having a chronic lung disease. I’m thankful to have a home to come back to, where we don’t have to worry about being around other people during this time.”

Having their own home has made a huge impact on Leland as well. While his mom continues to work full time, he is now home schooled four extra hours a day, on top of Amor’e’s therapy sessions.  Siouxzen says this is difficult, but with their Habitat home, Leland now has a quite environment to study in as opposed to the overcrowded situation they left.