My name is Kashaunda Anderson

I am 25 years old from Waterloo, Iowa. I am currently employed at Unity Point. I have a six-year old daughter, her name is Ka’jhira . My family and I are very family oriented. We love to do family activities and are very supportive of each other.

My Mother Karla Anderson always voiced the importance of owning your own things and being able to have the ability to say that something is yours and that you worked hard for it. I recently graduated from University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Criminology. I know the importance of working hard and trying to provide for my daughter and so I decided to sign up for Habitat for Humanity. The first two times I was denied due to income and my credit. In result, I felt like giving up and not trying, often telling myself that I will probably rent for the rest of my life. However my mom and family stressed to me to keep trying to work on what I needed to improve and I had faith in God that he would provide for my daughter and I. What also pushed me to do better was hearing my daughter’s hopes of having a house that was ours and the many ideas she had to decorate her bedroom, in which with us living in a rental property we were not able to fulfill. So I began to pay off my credit card debt or any debt that I had to increase my credit score. Also, by the grace of God I was able to get a promotion at work that came with an increase in pay. Then I decided to try for habitat again and this time I was approved. I was ecstatic, being one step closer to owning a home was everything I always wanted and starting at an early age was even better.

My main goal is to be financially stable for my daughter and I want to provide her with a stable and safe living environment. By being a part of Habitat for humanity, it helped put everything in perspective for me. I find myself doing better with saving, budgeting, and realizing what is more important, as well as continuing to work hard. That is why making sure I give my all when completing the sweat equity hours is so important, being able to help others complete their dreams while working hard for my own. So far I have completed 11 hours of my sweat equity hours working at both the Restore and construction site. I absolutely love the Restore. I was amazed to see all the different items they carried at the store and the many donations they received from the community. However, so far working at the construction site is my favorite because I’m able to really be part of helping build a house from the ground up. I most definitely have a new profound respect for construction workers. Being able to learn new things is so exciting and stepping out my comfort zone to help build a house for a deserving family. It is amazing how much you have to do to build a house. The very first day I worked at the construction site I had to run a powered saw and I was so afraid. However, once I thought more about what I’m working for is a much bigger cause than my fears it makes me work harder no matter the circumstances.

Again, I thank Habitat for Humanity for the opportunity for me being able to become a potential homeowner and being able to provide a stable home for my daughter and I that we can eventually call our own.

Thank You,

Kashaunda Anderson