by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
What started out as a concrete slab and a few wooden wall frames will soon be a home for a Jacksonville family.
Pam Seay has been waiting for this day for quite a while. Seay watched as Jacksonville Jaguars staff members, football players and cheerleaders began building her new house on Wednesday. Since 2001, the Jaguars have sponsored 15 houses for HabiJax, and this is the fourth house they have physically helped build.
“It’s really exciting,” Seay said while watching some of the wooden frames being put into place. “This is a dream come true. I feel like a little kid going to Disney World for the first time.”
Seay said the fact that the Jaguars gave their time to build her house gave her a really good feeling.
“I am so thankful for the Jaguars to come out and do this,” said Seay. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Seay has been renting for years and never thought she was going to be able to own a home that she can call her own.
“It is such a good feeling. It is a feeling that I can’t describe,” she said.
Nyree Bowen, community relations coordinator for the Jaguars, said all of their hard work over the next few months will pay off when the dedication ceremony takes place and the family moves into their new home.
“By sponsoring a house we pay for the house. But by being out here, we are putting in sweat equity towards building the house,” she said.
Construction began Wednesday, but the completion date has not been determined yet.
“When we got out here, there was just a concrete slab,” said Bowen. “Today (Wednesday) we are putting up the frame of the house and the exterior walls.
”It is neat because we can see the house starting to take shape.”
She explained that the house will be done in phases. In a few weeks the interior walls will go up, followed by the electrical work, plumbing, dry wall, painting and other small jobs.
“This will all lead up to a dedication ceremony with the new homeowner, the Jaguars players and staff,” she said. “As a tradition, once it is done, we as a building team will sign the threshold with encouraging words and our names.”
About 30 members of the Jaguars staff, players and cheerleaders are helping build the home. Jaguar players Jimmy Farris, Alvin Pearman, Pat Thomas, Tony Pashos and Joe Zelenka and ROAR members Courtney and Keana were all part of the building team.
Pashos, an offensive lineman, has done work with Habitat for Humanity before, but it was in Baltimore while he played for the Ravens the past four years.
“The homes we did in Baltimore were different, because they were row homes so we couldn’t knock them down, we had to gut the inside and then start over,” he said. “Here, everything is brand new.”
This was Pashos’ first time building a home for HabiJax.
“Anybody who volunteers, it makes you feel good,” he said. “We are all a part of the same community and it feels good to help people out when they need help.”
Bowen said building a home for HabiJax gives the whole Jaguars family an opportunity to do something for the community. Bowen said the giving back attitude starts at the top of the Jaguars organization with owners Wayne and Delores Weaver.
“It doesn’t take much to volunteer,” she said. “Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are our examples and we are following in their path of giving back to the community.”
Even though Wednesday was the beginning of a dream come true for Seay, there is something else that she can’t wait to do.
“I will be even more pleased when I go through the door for the first time,” said Seay. “This has changed my life tremendously.”