MESA, Ariz. — Elsa struggled to find the words, but the utter sense of wonderment on her face told the story. Thanks to Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation and its Homes for the Holidays project, Elsa and her three children – the youngest a baby boy with Down Syndrome – will have a Thanksgiving and Christmas to remember in 2019.
This family’s dream of home ownership came to fruition through Habitat for Humanity with a new residence in Mesa. And thanks to First Things First partners like U-Haul, the house was filled with beautiful furnishings to make their transformed lives even brighter.
Winning Team: U-Haul and Kurt Warner
Team U-Haul is proud to join the Warners – NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt and his wife, Brenda – in providing resilient, single-parent working families with a fresh start.
U-Haul has partnered First Things First for nearly 13 years, providing financial support and volunteer work in both the Greater St. Louis and Greater Phoenix markets.
“In our lives, we remember the times where you were working hard, you were doing everything, and you just need maybe a little bit of help along the way,” Kurt shared in presenting the house.
“We’ve had so many people help us, and we’re so blessed to be in a situation now where we can be that person that helps to give another family a little push into the next stage of their life. We’re excited to be able to do it on Thanksgiving because we are so thankful for so many blessings in our life, and so many people that helped us help you.
“We’ve got some sponsors that have really been with us for the long haul. This is our 51st home that we’ve done across the country. I want to say thanks to U-Haul. You guys have been incredible.”
Impacting Families and Communities
Christian and Elsie received a tour of their new bedrooms while Dominick was able to test out his new crib and spinning mobile. Caregiving is Elsa’s forte, as she works with children 5 and older who are disabled when she’s not tending to her own kids.
As part of its community outreach, U-Haul partners with organizations that helps people in meeting their basic human needs: food, clothing and shelter. This has long been a focus of U-Haul since it considers affordable residential mobility a basic need, and strives to meet that need for families throughout the U.S. and Canada at more than 22,000 truck- and trailer-sharing locations.
Did you know U-Haul Team Members also spent the week leading up to Thanksgiving gifting turkeys to Valley families in need? Read about our recent donation of 887 turkeys to St. Mary’s Food Bank.
