CPAR donates $118K to Habitat for Humanity of Bay County for Panama City mom's new home
PANAMA CITY — Susan West, president of the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors, says it feels great to know her organization helped a local resident secure affordable housing.
In a annual membership meeting for Habitat for Humanity of Bay County on Sept. 21, CPAR donated $118,000 to the group to fund the construction of a home being built by Habitat for Ashly Cooper, a local single mom who currently lives in an RV.
"It's amazing," West said of her group being able to make the donation. "It's (also) amazing to have an opportunity to meet (Cooper) and to meet other Habitat recipients because they're so grateful for this opportunity."
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CPAR is a local organization that oversees about 2,000 real estate agents in Bay, Calhoun, Washington, Holmes and Jackson counties. Each year, its members elect a new president who serves a one-year term.
West said she is especially proud of her group for funding a Habitat home because it was something she set out to accomplish during her presidency.
"My idea was we went through a hurricane, (and) we've been through a pandemic, (so) let's do something that would be fun and supportive of our community," she said. "We support homeownership, so what's a better thing to do than build a house for a qualified Habitat for Humanity recipient?"
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According to a press release from CPAR, the donation to habitat was raised through sponsors, auctions, events and the sale of T-shirts and engraved bricks along CPAR's building located in Panama City.
These efforts were part of a fundraising campaign dubbed "the house that CPAR built," which began in 2019.
West said it cost $70,000 for habitat to build a home. Of CPAR's $118,000 donation, $48,000 will roll over to help fund a second home. The group is now working to raise the remaining balance of $22,000 for that home, which she hopes to build in 2023.
Habitat homes are not free donations as recipients take on the home's mortgage, which is fixed to cost only 30% of their income. Recipients also receive a 0% interest rate.
West said Cooper's home is almost complete, and she should move in before the end of the year.
"The opportunity to allow somebody to have a new home that's affordable housing for them is very fulfilling, and for us as Realtors to do that is even more fulfilling," West said.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Habitat for Humanity helped by CPAR to build home for Panama City mom
