June 23, 2016
Hometown bank builds home for busy caregiver and mother of four
Home Federal Bank employees on Thursday, June 23, gathered with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity representatives and new homeowner Nikecia White for a dedication ceremony celebrating the completion of her new home in North Knoxville.
The dedication of this home marks Home Federal Bank’s 26th consecutive year as a covenant partner with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity. Covenant partners provide a substantial amount of the funding to build a house, currently $40,000, plus significant manpower to aid in construction. Home Federal Bank is Knoxville Habitat for Humanity’s longest-standing covenant partner.
“Home Federal Bank has long been committed to the principle of service – service to our customers and service to our community,” said Chairman and CEO Dale Keasling. “Habitat for Humanity is just another way our bank can help our neighbors achieve dreams of homeownership, which has been the cornerstone of our business since 1924.”
White has a six-year career as a caregiver for adults with intellectual disabilities at Sertoma Center. She works very long hours but takes great pride in her work of helping others in need. She also is the mother of three daughters and a son and grandmother to a two-year-old girl.
The new home means more space and more safety for the close-knit family that previously shared a very small three-bedroom rental home. White said she is grateful to provide more safety and security for her entire family and to have a home where she can sit outside and catch up with her girls, her son can train and practice for sports, and her granddaughter can play in the yard.
“Because of our covenant partners like Home Federal Bank, we are able to make the dream of homeownership a reality for deserving low income families in our community,” said Knoxville Habitat for Humanity President and CEO Kelle Shultz. “We are grateful for Home Federal Bank’s longstanding position as a covenant partner and are fortunate to have such a generous corporate citizen in our city.”
For more than 20 years, Home Federal Bank has partnered with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity to facilitate more than $2 million in grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank in Cincinnati to make Habitat homes possible.
About Home Federal Bank of Tennessee
Founded in 1924, Home Federal Bank of Tennessee is a locally owned, full-service bank serving East Tennesseans through 23 offices in Knox, Anderson, Blount and Sevier counties. Every quarter since 1991, the bank has earned a 5-Star Superior rating – the highest possible – by independent authority BauerFinancial. For more information, visit http://www.homefederalbanktn.com.
