Man who lost most of his belongings in Superstorm Sandy was the first recipient.
Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins; West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum; Isaac Ezirim; Habitat Newark CEO Jeffrey J. Farrell; and South Ward Councilman John S. James at the dedication ceremony. (Courtesy Habitat Newark)NEWARK -- More than three years ago, most of Issac Ezirim's belongings were destroyed. He had been keeping them in a storage facility in Newark's Ironbound district that was washed out by Superstorm Sandy.
In a ceremony Monday, Habitat for Humanity and the GI Go Fund changed his luck.
Ezirim, an immigrant from Nigeria and U.S. army veteran, contributed about 200 hours of "sweat equity" to help Habitat build his family a new home on South 9th Avenue in the city's Central Ward, the organization announced this week. It held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the home earlier this week.
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"I am so grateful," Ezirim, who called the new three-bedroom house the "home of my dreams," said in a release about the event.
The build was part of Habitat Newark's new "Veteran Initiative," which is constructing homes throughout the city for returning vets. Ezirim's home dedication ceremony, which was attended by city council members and sponsors of the initiative, was held in honor of Veteran's Day later this month.
"This is the first of what we will be a string of homes constructed for deserving men and women who have given so much to preserve and protect our freedom," Jeffrey Farrell, CEO of Habitat Newark, said in the release.
"It is an honor to serve those who have so bravely served our country."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
