Mildred, a new Atlanta Habitat homebuyer, is an avid Atlanta Falcons fan who faithfully watches the players demonstrate their skills and talents on the football field. So, you can imagine her excitement when she found out that a few rookie team members would be demonstrating their commitment to the community by helping her complete the construction of her home.
“It’s so exciting,” said Mildred, smiling warmly in the heat of day three of her build. The sun was relentless, but every volunteer seemed genuinely glad to be on site. “They’re taking time out of their day to help build our home!”
Mildred, a mother of two and a certified nursing assistant for 23 years, shared that for her, this is a dream she has worked hard to achieve. “I always wanted to own my own home, but this is real experience as far as building it from the ground up. I get to see everything start from nothing.”
Despite coming straight from training camp, the newly-minted NFL players spent the afternoon working alongside Mildred, painting the house’s exterior. This marks the second year that the Falcons and Atlanta Police Department officers from Zone 1 have joined forces to help build an Atlanta Habitat home.
The Falcons’ partnership with the APD and Atlanta Police Foundation is part of the Atlanta Falcons Social Justice initiative, which was created by the players to build bridges between the police and communities they serve. In a 2018 news release, Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank explained:
“This is not about players. It’s not about owners. It’s not about the NFL. It’s about the issues… We’ve got about a dozen players who serve on a (social justice) committee, if you will, that speak for all of the players – the entire team. And they have made it clear to us issues such as bail-bond reform, social justice and community involvement, law enforcement accountability, just a variety of issues that are very important to them.”
To ignite or expand social justice, players host or attend events that contribute to turning these issues into measurable progress – such as working with police officers to build an Atlanta Habitat home. The partnership between the Falcons, APD, and APF supports several Westside community revitalization programs, which includes providing access to affordable city housing for police officers and Westside community members.
From being inspired to pursue homeownership after seeing her younger brother buy his own home, to seeking out and completing Atlanta Habitat’s rigorous first-time homebuyer program, and using her vacation days to build, Mildred sums up her journey to becoming a homebuyer in one word; faith.
“This journey that I started, I thought I’d never be able to do it,” Mildred recalled. “But then I remembered that I have faith, and that’s how I ended up where I am now.”
Thanks to the Falcons players and Atlanta police officers, Atlanta Habitat is one house closer to almost having 250 homes on the city’s historic Westside. Welcome to the neighborhood, Mildred!
