ELKTON, Md. — The cold isn't icing out new beginnings in Cecil County.
What started as a pile of wood and nails is now a place to call home for a father in Elkton.
“I think I did a good job,” Wolton Baptiste said. “I think she’s gonna be happy with it.”
Cecil County father surprises daughter with their first home
Baptiste and his 10-year-old daughter are going from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom house.
“As a man, you always want to provide,” he said. “My daughter, that’s my number one right now. So it means everything to me.”
But what makes it so special is all of the hours he's putting in to it.
“You have a sense of connection with this property because you built it yourself,” Baptiste said.
Some days, Baptiste would work 16-hour shifts before heading straight to the build site to put in another four hours.
Behind the brand new cabinets and closets is a community of support. Baptiste is a Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna homebuyer.
Michele Louderback, community engagement manager, says the organization focuses on building more than homes.
“We bring people together to build homes, community, and hope in Harford and Cecil counties,” Louderback said.
But the homes are not given away. Approved buyers receive a zero-percent interest mortgage, with monthly payments capped at 30 percent of their income.
Homebuyers are also required to complete financial counseling, attend home maintenance classes, and contribute roughly 200 hours of labor on the construction site.
"It’s one thing to pay somebody to build something versus you being hands-on," Baptiste said.
About four percent of all building materials are donated. The rest is covered through fundraising efforts, with teams raising tens of thousands of dollars to make projects like this possible.
“We’re planting a seed, not just for this family, but for their families too,” said Women Build volunteer Damarys Ayala. “So they can see that they did it.”
As move-in day approaches, Baptiste is carefully keeping the biggest surprise under wraps. His daughter has only been given vague hints, like conversations about what her dream bedroom might look like.
“Before it was purple,” he said with a smile. “Now it’s blue and light blue.”
He plans to decorate her room with stickers and touches inspired by her favorite movie, Lilo & Stitch, a space she can truly call her own.
“As you can see,” Baptiste said, “it’s worth it.”
