Tracie Clay, Cleveland, OH

2008 Cleveland Black and White Ball Recipient

Tracie was a single mother with 2 children who worked as a home health care aide in the Cleveland area.  This position kept her busy for 60 hours a week.  Additionally, Tracie had agreed to be a partner family in a Habitat house in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland.  She put approximately 500 hours of work into this house and when completed, would assume the mortgage on it.  Since Tracie had not car, she strategically located her new home on a bus route to ease her travel burden.  Tracie's hard work and unwillingness to take something for nothing made a strong impression on her co-workers and an important example for her children.  She had struggled with her work and financial and family burdens, but still found time to pursue her dream of home ownership without neglecting her responsibilities to her patients and community.  Funds from the Black and White Ball helped pay for some basic furnishings to make the home that Tracie had always dreamed of.

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