© 2008 Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity • P.O. Box 7124 • Tacoma, Washington 98417 • (253) 627-5626	Email Us	Quarterly Newsletter	Webmaster

Meet Our Homeowners

The Potafiy Family

The Potafiy family are refugees from Moldova and moved to the United States on November 26, 2003. The eight-member family lived with relatives for a while and were eventually able to move out and live in their own apartment. However, the apartment they’re living in right now is much too small for their family. They also have problems with mold; in the kitchen, water leaks through the cabinets onto their pots and pans, but their landlord refuses to fix the situation. Although the Potafiys would like more space and a safer living situation, they do not feel that they can afford a better apartment.

The family consists of the parents Zoya and Dmitriy and their 6 sons: Yevgeniy (17), Roman (15), Sergey (14), Vitaliy (11), Denis (10), and Artem (6). They have been hard at work gathering sweat equity and hope that this house will allow their family to grow and prosper in the US.

The Potafiys’ Family Partner is Brian Morris.

The Thompson Family

by Rebecca Behizadeh, Family Partner

Moving is not fun for anyone, but it’s particularly difficult for Amy Thompson and her daughter, Robyn Nichols, because Robyn is paralyzed below the neck and breathes through a ventilator. The medical supplies you accumulate when you’re a quadriplegic are prodigious. So when the apartment Amy and Robyn were renting in Puyallup became bulldozed for condos, they were on the road again, piling their mountains of supplies into a truck, loading up Robyn’s companion dogs Jasmine (Jazz) and Rascal, and wheeling Robyn to her new apartment.

Robyn became paralyzed when she was just under 2 years old in a car accident. The story she told me was one of an incredible recovery that foiled all the medical professionals tending to her case. When she was rushed to the hospital following the crash, the doctors didn’t give her much of a chance to live. When she pushed on, despite the odds, the doctors speculated that she might live but would definitely be “brain dead.” When she showed definite brain activity, they still warned Amy that she might have severe mental retardation. Well, she foiled them even then, for Robyn has no brain injuries as a result of the crash and is a bright, spunky 16-year old who does well in school and loves hanging out with her friends and family.

The Thompson/Nichols family has a record of beating the odds, and with their acceptance as a Habitat family, they continue to express gratitude at the miracles in their lives. When you talk with Amy, you see that she’s a person with deep wells of faith and good humor and a dedication to making her family work. Talking with folks who know Amy and Robyn—be they nurses or teachers, friends or family—I’ve come to appreciate what a great support system the family has, eager to start work on Amy and Robyn’s home, eager to see this dream become a reality.

The Nguyen-Dang Family

by Chris Edwards, Family Partner

Cau Nguyen and Muoi Dang arrived in the United States in 2003 with hopes and dreams of a better life for their three children. In central Vietnam, Cau was a teacher of mathematics for elementary school children. He was dedicated to his church and taught Bible studies to young people and adults. Muoi had her own shop where she sold ingredients for food preparation.  Originally, Muoi was from southern Vietnam.

Cau and Muoi bravely left their home and jobs in Vietnam to take on the challenges of a new life in a new country. They enjoy sharing beautiful pictures of their homeland, and Cau promises soon to make one of his great tasting dishes of Vietnamese noodles and vegetables!  Cau is employed at Milgard in Fife where he electronically operates manufacturing equipment which transforms fiberglass materials into window frames. Muoi works for V&D Nails in Tacoma as a manicurist.

Education is very important to the Nguyen-Dang family. Cau and Muoi’s oldest daughter Tra-My turns 22 in June and is a freshman at Tacoma Community College. Their son Luan is 18 and is graduating this June from Mt. Tahoma High School and will join his sister this fall at college.  Five-year-old daughter Bich just lost her two front teeth, likes to watch Elmo on TV, and loves to practice her English.  She will have a great start in kindergarten this fall as she knows her ABC’s, numbers, and has already started to read and write.

The Nguyen-Dang family is very excited and thankful to have been selected for a Habitat home. They currently rent a moderate house from their Vietnamese Baptist Church. In Vietnam, a house costs about $3,000. So, to obtain their own home in the U.S. is a real dream come true for them. As they work on their sweat equity hours, the family can hardly wait to hear where their new Habitat home will be built! They are a generous and delightful family.

The Le/Pham Family

by Chris Edwards, Family Partner

Family is very important for the Le family. Talking to Hai, the father of the family, it becomes clear that he is dedicated to opening doors and providing new opportunities for his seven children and his wife, Nhung Pham. The Le family story begins in Vietnam. Hai was a soldier in the army that was fighting communism in his country. When Vietnam became communist, Hai was faced with two options: stay in his country and face imprisonment, leaving his family to suffer without him or flee the country. The Le Family chose the latter.

On their way to the United States, they stopped in Malaysia for nearly three years, living in a small camp until they received a sponsor to come to America. In July 1991, they gained sponsorship and began their trip to Tacoma.  Since their arrival, the family has moved four times throughout this city.  Homeownership was always a goal for the Le Family, and without Habitat for Humanity, Hai remarks that it would never have been a reality.  Hai first found out about Habitat from a sign at St. Leo’s Church. He thought it would be a great opportunity where he and his wife could raise their children with stability. And now, as construction begins on the new house, he remarks that it is a dream come true.

Currently, Nhung Pham works at East West Café where Hai does the landscaping. Five of their seven children will be living with them in their Habitat home: Ha (19), Chau (18), Phong (15), Dang (13), and Kathy (9). The eldest two daughters have moved out of the house: Hoai (24) presently lives in Seattle, and Hang (22) is just starting a family of her own. They are a grateful family and are very excited about their partnership with Habitat for Humanity.