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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Villagers construct house for local mother who dreamed of a home

While raising her five children, one of whom is developmentally disabled, single-mother Joyce Tohill struggled to make ends meet.

Housing was always a problem and the dream of a home for her family seemed out of reach. Tohill had learned to be a medical transcriptionist so she could work from home and care for her disabled daughter.

Tohill had always taken an interest in Habitat for Humanity and volunteered for the organization. When The Villagers Habitat For Humanity of Lake-Sumter Club named her as the recipient of a new three-bedroom home to be built by club members, she was overwhelmed.

Joyce Tohill center recived the keys to her new home from members of The Villagers Habitat for Humanity Club
Joyce Tohill, center, received the keys to her new home from members of The Villagers Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter Club.

As she received the keys to the house on Tuesday morning from Villager Sandy Read, Tohill began to cry. She told the Villagers who worked on the home that she was “so grateful for making her dream come true.”

Last November, Tohill, her daughters and her grandchildren were present when Habitat for Humanity held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the beginning of construction.

“At that time it seemed to be a far-off dream,” Tohill said.

Joyce Tohill, third from left, was joined by her children and grandchildren this past November when the Habitat for Humanity project kicked off.

But as construction continued, her excitement grew as did her affection for the Villagers who worked hard to finish the house.

At the dedication ceremony, it was noted that this is the first time a house has been built solely by The Villagers Habitat For Humanity of Lake-Sumter Club.

Construction of the new home in Fruitland Park began in October 2020, near the one-year anniversary of The Villagers Habitat Lake-Sumter Club’s inception. As lead sponsors of the home, club members raised the funds that made this project possible and invested more than 2,000 volunteer hours in building the home.

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