Margarito and Maria Mojica
Margarito Mojica and his wife, Maria, are hard workers, he a tractor driver for Barnes Citrus and she employed with a hotel on the beach. Nevertheless, with three growing children, sons Roman, 16, and Bryan, 7 ½, and little daughter Yazzil, 5, the family was struggling in their Fellsmere rental - a crowded, rundown trailer that Maria described as, “very small and very – bad.”
The couple knew something had to be done – soon. They had heard about other Fellsmere families who had built very nice, modest homes - simple and basic - in a fairly new neighborhood on the edge of town – Grace Meadows, and learned it was a Habitat for Humanity community. Perhaps, they thought, they could qualify for the program.
The Mojicas attended the Habitat orientation, filled out the required paperwork and were overjoyed when they were informed that they had been accepted into the Habitat for Humanity family of homebuyers.
The Mojicas’ home would be the 13th Habitat home the Orchid Community had sponsored, and the wall raising ceremony Nov. 6, 2010 launched months of hard work. Construction volunteers from Orchid worked side by side with the Mojicas as they put in their Sweat Equity hours. At last, all the hard work was done and, on April 2, 2011, the Mojicas, with Grace Meadows neighbors, family and friends from Orchid, gathered for Dedication Day, which culminated in the presentation of the front door key to the family. The Mojicas were home at last.
Today, reflecting on her new home, Maria says she couldn’t be happier. She loves the neighborhood and the neighbors and she feels safe and content. She is also proud that her children are “doing well, are happy and are all getting good grades in school. Truly,” she smiles, “we are great. Everyone is well here.”
