Former NFL great Warrick Dunn worked with Catholic High School and Habitat for Humanity to build, furnish, and paint a beautiful new home in Baton Rouge, which they subsequently handed to Dominique, a single mother, and Miracle, her eight-year-old daughter.
Dunn’s old mater, Catholic High School, is believed to have raised $84,500 to help with the home’s building costs. Some students also contributed many hours of community work and helped build the house.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, Build Sponsor Catholic High School, and Warrick Dunn Charities also provided Dominique and her daughter with a $5,000 down purchase assistance check and $10,000 in furniture from Aaron’s.
According to a statement, the single mother works as an administrative assistant for the Louisiana Workforce Commission and benefited from Habitat’s financial wellness programs to avoid overspending.
Dominique and her family will be able to move from an apartment to their dream home thanks to Habitat’s assistance.
“I’m just so thankful for this blessing and all the people that came into my life to help make this a reality. The sleepless nights and all the work it took to get here and become a homeowner, it was all worth it, and I’m just so grateful that I kept doing the work and didn’t give up,” Dominique said to BRProud.
Warrick Dunn Charities (WDC) has been aiding single parents across the United States in realizing their goal of first-time homeownership as part of their “Homes for the Holidays” project. This was their 218th Home Celebration across the country, according to a press statement. Dunn personally returned to his hometown to show the family around their new home and to offer them a glimpse of their bright future.
“Dominique and Miracle, single mother, first-time homeowner, I think it’s important to help change the community and the environment, create stability for a family that could potentially have good long-term positive impacts,” Dunn said, according to WAFB.
Dunn’s charity collaborates with a number of local organizations to continue assisting single parents in their first house by furnishing the space, assisting with down payments, and even giving food for their pantry.
Dunn has assisted hundreds of families in taking the next step in their lives by reducing the financial and emotional burdens placed on single parents. After being picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997, the ex-NFL player founded the charity. With his expanding income, he established Homes for the Holidays to honor his late mother’s ambition to buy a home before she died.