Meet the families & tour the homes on Thursday, May 26

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is thrilled to finish four twin homes in Stoughton! Come see them for yourself on Thursday, May 26 at 3:30 p.m. at 1122 Abel Court in Stoughton. There will be a short celebration, tours, and refreshments. Meet the families:
Meet Nexhmedin & Liridona
We are a family of six! We are originally from Kosovo and have lived in Dane County for 21 years. We have four daughters. The oldest is Anduela and she’s in the eighth grade. Next is Aurela, who is in the sixth grade. Then there is Ariana, who is in the third grade. Lastly, our little sweetie pie, Amelia, who is three years old.

We are excited that they will have space to play inside and outside and to have sleepovers with friends. In our free time, we like to go to the lake where we grill, swim, and play with the kids. 
Meet Eric & Megan
Eric, Evelyn and I became a family of three in 2016 along with our big dog, Zeus. Eric grew up in Verona and I’m a Madison native. Our family continued to grow with Milo (born in 2018) and Noah (born in 2019). Having three children under 9 years old is challenging, exhausting, and rewarding, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Though we are proud of the life we’re building, being a young family has brought many challenges. There have been times we’ve had to ask friends and family to help buy clothes for the kids after a growth spurt. We have had birthdays and holidays where we cash in our change jar to have money to buy toys from the second-hand store. With less than 900 square feet and two bedrooms in our duplex, our youngest son sleeps in a portable crib set up nightly in the living room. We have been blessed to be able to make ends meet but discouraged by the feeling that we are never moving forward.

When we found out we had been accepted into the Habitat program, everything changed. Our frustration and discouragement turned to hope and excitement. Raising our family in a house without mold-stained ceilings and the neighbor’s cigarette smoke wafting through the air vents will have an immensely positive impact on our lives and our health. We can’t wait to plant a vegetable garden in our backyard, set up a “Little Free Library” next to our mailbox, and invite our kids’ friends and neighbors over to run through the sprinkler in the summer. We’re not just building a home -- we’re building a stable future for our family, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

When we’re not making plans for our future Habitat home, our family enjoys camping in Wisconsin state parks, going on nature walks with the dog, and having water fights in the yard. We walk and bike to the playgrounds in our neighborhood on a daily basis, and take full advantage of Madison’s beautiful parks and lakes. We are frequent fliers of all the Madison Public Libraries (Sequoya and Hawthorne are our two favorites!).
Meet Ruzhdi & Minire 
We immigrated to the United States in 1999 from Kosovo due to the war between Kosovo and Serbia. We were extremely fortunate to have family in the United States who helped us create our new life here. We have three sons, 19-year-old Milot, who is currently in college playing soccer and 12-year-old twins, Roni and Blendi, who are in 7th grade.

Roni and Blendi like to play soccer just like their older brother. Our boys are excited to have rooms of their own and a yard to play soccer in. We are extremely fortunate and thankful to be a part of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and cannot thank everyone enough for their help and support.
Meet Lidije & Bekim
Our family is from Stoughton, but before moving here we lived in Kosovo. We came to US as refugee from the war in 1999. These were very difficult times, but we were happy to begin our lives here. Now, our family has grown, and we have three children Erald, Erza and Ema.

Erald is 16 and in high school. Erza is 11 and she is in elementary school, and Ema is not yet in school. Erald is very good at coloring, Erza at drawing, and Ema just keeps us busy at home with her energy. At age four Erald was diagnosed with autism which was heartbreaking and scary. It can be challenging, but he continues to be an amazing young man. 

For the last 20 years, our dream to have a home was just that, "Only a dream." We are on a very tight budget and found ourselves priced out of the homes that would work for us, especially with Erald's special needs. We had really started to give up and then we heard about Habitat for Humanity.

Our family went through a lot in 20 years. We had to leave behind our country. While we are proud Kosovars, we are also proud to be citizens of the USA. I was taught this is a land of opportunity - to find the American dream. Our family had to put other dreams on hold as Erald's special needs became a full-time job. Now the dream of owning our own home is becoming a reality!

We are very thankful to Habitat for giving us a chance to thrive and have a better life and better future for our children.
Thank you to our sponsors!

These homes could not be built without the generous support of our home sponsors! Thank you for your dedication to building stability, self-reliance and shelter for families right here in Dane County.