What does having a home mean to you?

What does having a home mean to you?

When my mom and I left beloved Cape Cod in 1977, I never realized how important having a permanent home meant to me. Pursuing her dream to get her Master's degree, my mom quit her job, sold our comfortable two-bedroom house and headed to Hartford.

Our first residence was a single bedroom, second story apartment owned by UConn.  With big trees that Spot Cat could climb to our kitchen window and lots of kids nearby, I was delighted. Kickball in the empty lot nearby, the Muppet Show at friends' houses, and a walk to a historic, inner-city school were a blast.  Good times.

After a year and a half, the university sold and was demolishing our apartment complex. My struggling student mom and I moved when the electricity was scheduled to be canceled. Once out, we began a nomadic trek (with and then without Spot Cat) that lasted for three years of friends' apartments, house-sitting opportunities, and seminary dorms. That was followed by three cities 3,000 miles apart, two country towns, and a quick return to Cape Cod before settling down in my father's current residence in Easton, New Hampshire. at the age of 12.

My experiences shape my goals for raising our daughter Jessica, now 6 yrs old and entering First Grade in the fall. While I want her to be flexible and open to new experiences, I want her address stable. Whether our family lives in an apartment, condominium or our current house, it's important that she realize that it's safe and consistent.  

I believe these are the values for which all families want for their children.  It is with this in mind that I commit 5% of my annual commissions to agencies advocating for, developing and maintaining affordable housing.  I'm delighted to say that at the end of each year I'm writing a check that will help other parents house their kids.

Helping others find homes is an honor, whether it is clients or those whom I support. And, not to be overly dramatic, I find my contribution a privileged, and almost sacred, role. 

Do you have a life experience that has shaped your charitable giving? Email me at Stephanie.Baker@yahoo.com.