SALEM — Clarisa Bojos couldn't hold back tears when describing her family's upcoming move from a cramped apartment to a beautiful new home.
The bright duplex with high ceilings was built with the help of countless volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of the North Shore.
Around 100 people attended a dedication ceremony at the house yesterday to celebrate the two families who are now homeowners, and to honor the many volunteers who transformed a decrepit, shuttered factory into a gleaming two-family home at the corner of Harrison Ave. and Palmer Street.
"We came here four years ago looking for the American dream, and we found it," said Andres Bojos, who will move in with his wife and their two children. "Thank God for Habitat, we found it."
Every Saturday for the last 11รขÑ2 years, the two families and volunteer crews worked on the Habitat house, which is also a dream come true for Van Truong.
Truong emigrated from Vietnam in 1995 and has worked between six and seven days a week ever since, trying to save money with the hope of one day moving herself and her two children out of their trailer home in Peabody.
"The new home is very exciting. I'm very lucky," said Truong, who works as a tailor for a retail clothing chain.
Her children, Robert and Lina Nguyen, ages 11 and 12, said they are thrilled to have their own bedrooms for the first time.
"We don't get to move in until April 15," Robert said as if the two weeks felt like an eternity. "I'm excited because I get my own room!"
"Mine is the purple one," Lina said, beaming as she pointed to her new bedroom.
Once a family qualifies for a Habitat home, the homeowners invest more than 400 hours of "sweat equity" to construct the home, according to Donald Preston, president of Habitat for Humanity North Shore.
"Part of our job is to be advocates for affordable housing," said Preston, who said Habitat gives the homeowners a zero-interest mortgage, "and this also provides people the act of being able to volunteer and help."
Joel Brenner of Peabody is one of those volunteers.
"Today is really cool," said Brenner, who has been on the volunteer crew from the start. "It's the culmination of everything."
"A lot of people just give money and you don't know where it's going to go," said volunteer Jeff McKay of Beverly. "You give your time, and you see right here what it's going to, and (the families) appreciate it so much."
Preston said once the city gave the property to Habitat, the organization relied on a huge amount of community help, from everyday volunteers to electricians, pavers, roofers and flooring companies who all donated materials and services.
The building, which had been a manufacturing plant, was in bad shape, recalled contractor Mark Bergeron, the volunteer project manager. The rehabilitation work included lots of jackhammering, knocking down an entire quarter of the brick building, and adding a second story.
"They're all great people," Bergeron said of the two families. "They're all excited, you can see it in their eyes today."
Preston spoke at yesterday's ceremony, as did Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. John Keenan, Sister Pauline Fortin of St. Ann's Parish, and the Rev. Daniel Velez-Rivera of Grace Episcopal Church in Salem, who was the person who encouraged the Bojos family to apply to Habitat for Humanity in the first place.
The family, who emigrated to Salem from the Dominican Republic four years ago, said constructing their home has been a blessing and a chance to learn.
"It was a great experience because we learned to work in many different capacities," said Andres Bojos, whose daughter, Ana, 15, translated for him from Spanish to English.
Andres Bojos works at a factory in Beverly, and Clarisa works in special education at Collins Middle School.
"With Habitat, we make a great team," Andres said with a smile.
Before and after the ceremony, guests toured the two new units, which include sunny stairwells and large roof decks. Snacks were served in the kitchens, and the homeowners shared hugs with many of the people who helped along the way.
Yehudi Self-Medlin, chairwoman of family selection for Habitat and a board member, spoke during the ceremony. She said the two families exemplify what Habitat for Humanity is about.
"They lived in tight quarters, struggling to do what they could," said Self-Medlin, "paying very high rent for a very tiny house — so tiny the children couldn't invite their friends over, (with the hope) they would one day make a better life for their families.
"A house itself does not necessarily insure a better life, but it goes a long way toward providing that success ..."
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