Ebony’s Dedication
House Sponsor CSX has “Pride in Service”
Respect and admiration for our nation’s military is woven deep into the fabric of the First Coast. Jacksonville is home to multiple Navy bases, and a desire to do right by those who have served is a shared goal among many of our residents and businesses. One such business is CSX, who through their “Pride in Service” program connects national and local heroes (veterans, military, and first responders) and their families to what they need when they need it.
Through this Pride in Service program, CSX provided the funds and most of the volunteers to build the house of Ebony, a US Army National Guard Veteran, and her son, Windell.
At the January 7th dedication of her home, Ebony and Windell celebrated with the CSX team that built her house alongside her. CSX Chief of Police Sean Douris spoke for CSX and called owning a home for the first time “a defining moment in your life” and emphasized, “I am just so happy that we could be a part of that for Ebony.”
As she shared her own words, Ebony was overcome with emotion: “Just seeing this completed is amazing. All the support from CSX and HabiJax is overwhelming. This is life-changing for me and my child.”
Ebony’s home was the 26th HabiJax home sponsored by CSX since our founding in 1988 and the first for a military veteran through Pride in Service.
Inspired by CSX’s vision and by Ebony’s service, HabiJax is committing to build a veteran-focused community within the next few years to assist the 6,000 low-to-moderate income veterans in Duval County who are currently living in housing they cannot afford.
2,200 of these hometown heroes have some level of service-related disability. Knowing the social and economic benefit of affordable housing to all residents of Jacksonville, HabiJax will work to ensure that veterans are not overlooked, but further included and involved in our work.
