Wall-raising ceremony kicks off 'Home for Good' campaign

Volunteers will contribute more than 3,000 hours to help build Habitat home

ROANOKE, Va. – 10 News officially kicked off this year's "Home for Good" campaign with a wall-raising ceremony on Hanover Avenue on Wednesday.

The "Home for Good" campaign is a partnership between 10 News, Habitat for Humanity of the Roanoke Valley, community sponsors and volunteers.

"Our hope is that we're not just building this one home and placing it in the community, but that we're actually going to help bring the community together, that's really our goal," said Jaimie Leon, general manager of WSLS 10.

For about the next three months, volunteers and Habitat staff will build the home for Teyauna Hayes, a 25-year-old Roanoke native.

Hayes grew up near the site of her future home.

"It's good to know people around you," Hayes said. "It's good to know you have people around you, supporting you, helping you, you have good neighbors."

This is the fourth Habitat home 10 News has built since 2014.

"This collaboration is so special because it brings together community partners to not just raise walls and build a home, but also to impact the greater community and to inject joy and excitement and hope in the community," said Karen Mason, Habitat's executive director.

The city of Roanoke has been working to revitalize and re-energize the Melrose-Orange corridor through home projects such as this and other community investments.

"We're moving from street to street in this area, because we want these neighbors to feel like they are a part of the resurgence we're having in this city," said Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea. 

Volunteers will contribute more than 3,000 hours to build the home. The 'Home for Good' campaign is expected to wrap up in July.