LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg woman is one step closer to getting her new home, thanks to a large group of volunteers.
More than 100 Central Virginia Community College students helped build Florence Coles' Habitat for Humanity home Saturday morning. The volunteers assembled the framework of the house on campus in just about six hours.
"It's special," Coles said. "People that didn't even know me are like my family now."
Coles said she had been waiting six years for the Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity to approve her application. She watched the volunteers build; she even stepped inside her unfinished home to help at times.
"I've been hitting a few nails and picking up some wood," Coles said. "It's really exciting."
The house will soon be moved to storage, and Habitat for Humanity estimates Coles' house will not be finished until next spring. In the meantime, the unfinished home will remain on CVCC's campus for a week to inspire students to think bigger than themselves.
"Our students care about their community," said Mary Zoccola, of Central Virginia Community College. "When they heard this house was going to be for someone in the community, that just touched everyone's heart."