Give A Home for the Holidays: Help Us Raise $50,000 by December 31
Help Families Like Keiriney’s Celebrate the Holidays in a Forever Home
This holiday season, you can help ensure that next Christmas looks very different for local families in need. Through our Home for the Holidays Year-End Giving Challenge, we are working to raise $50,000 by December 31, 2025, funds that will build safe, stable, affordable homes for hardworking families right here in Manatee County.
Your generosity today will help us keep building throughout 2026. By next Christmas, we’re on track to welcome 17 families into their new Habitat homes, 17 families who will finally experience the warmth, security, and joy of the holidays in a place they can truly call their own. Some of these homes will be built on infill lots and through recycled properties across our county, but the majority will rise in our next 27-home community, Kings Cross Place. Construction on the first home begins in January 2026, and by the end of the year, many more families will be celebrating their first holidays in a home built with love, hope, and community support.
Keiriney’s Journey Towards Stability and Homeownership
This year, one of those families was Keiriney who will experience something truly special, her very first holiday season in a home she owns.
Born and raised in Bradenton, Keiriney grew up with her single mother, moving frequently between apartments as her mom worked long hours in physically demanding jobs to make ends meet. Stability was hard to come by until Keiriney was 15, when her mother was finally able to purchase their family’s first home. That moment changed everything. With a safe and stable place to live, Keiriney thrived in school, became a dedicated track runner, and graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School.
As an adult, Keiriney worked tirelessly to build a better future for herself and her daughter. She returned to school, pursued a career in healthcare, and earned her certification as an ultrasound technician. But despite her hard work, housing instability followed her into adulthood. Frequent moves and long commutes took a toll, especially on her daughter’s education and sense of security.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Keiriney and her daughter moved back in with her mother to regain stability. Since then, Keiriney has continued pushing forward, becoming a certified surgical technologist and now pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Determined to create a better future, she applied to Habitat for Humanity in the fall of 2024.
In May of this year, Keiriney’s dream became reality when she moved into her Habitat home.
For Keiriney, homeownership means more than four walls and a roof, it means consistency, peace of mind, and a safe place where her daughter can grow, learn, and flourish. It means holidays spent decorating their own space, creating traditions, and building memories that will last a lifetime.
This holiday season, as Keiriney celebrates her first Christmas in her new home, you can help make that same joy possible for 17 more local families.
More Ways to Donate:
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Flanzer Trust – Click here to double your gift to Manatee Habitat of up to $500. Remember, if you wish to give more, you can still donate through Flanzer and they will add their $500 contribution!
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Mail your Gift to: 1901 Manatee Ave W, 2nd Floor, Bradenton, FL