Page 154 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2023

HOME
HOMES with
story by Holly Harrison and Shannon Stage
photos courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area
All of us at some point in our lives have experienced the kindness of a stranger or the support of a neighbor when
we needed it the most, or maybe when we least expected it. Knowing someone cares gives us a sense of hopefulness that tomorrow is going to be a better day. And the feeling that comes from being the one offering help is just as powerful.
Two of our country’s more famous volunteers, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, have volunteered for decades with Habitat for Humanity. Since 1976, Habitat
has been repairing and building homes for no profit and no interest loans, making home ownership possible for people who would otherwise be unable to purchase or maintain a home. They understand that the pride and confidence that come with housing security can change lives.
On a quiet cul-de-sac neighborhood in Bay St. Louis, Habitat volunteers gather several times a week constructing a new home for the Dowden family. And if it is a Thursday, you will likely find Kim and Paul Zavesky. The retired couple found Mississippi after the pandemic closed the border with Canada where they used to spend some months of the year. “We visited Mississippi and fell in love immediately,” they said.
Once settled in, the retired couple began looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity. Kim remembers volunteering
years ago through work. “I saw just how great the needs of others were. I was shocked at how hard people were working and they still lived in a home with a dirt floor. Volunteering felt like I was giving back for all I had.”
Her husband, Paul, grew up in the former Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the United States in his early 20s. His tenure as
a probation officer exposed him to children who did not have the support and love that the Zavesky clan shares. “I was based out of an elementary school, and I saw firsthand the difficulties children experience when there is no positive role model in their lives,” Paul said. He believes strongly that having a reliable roof over their heads is a good start. Finding the local Habitat for Humanity organization was just the volunteer opportunity Kim and Paul were looking for.
“It feels so good to meet new people and see how excited they are to get their home fixed or get their own home for the first time,” he says. He has never forgotten the lost children he worked with early in his career and with Kim, he still wants to make a difference. “We can at least help someone get into a home.”
Building contractor Matt McBride was sitting in his home in Northern Virginia, watching the news about Hurricane Katrina, when his daughter, Leah, asked, “How would you like to go to
154 | December 2023
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