Family Gets a Home for Christmas - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Family Gets a Home for Christmas

By Natalie Zarowny
nzarowny@cbs4qc.com

While lots of folks are wrapping up a day of opening presents and holiday feasts, there are many in the Quad Cities who don't even have a place of their own to sleep tonight.

But thanks to the generosity of a Quad Cities teacher and her husband, there's one less family without a home.

Ronda and her three teenage kids have been living in a motel in Moline for four months.

But tonight, they get to sleep in their own beds.

"We're very blessed.  It's very amazing how they got everything together as quickly as they did," said Ronda.

Ronda and her three kids, who didn't want to appear on camera, all say living in a motel for the past four months has been rough.

"It was very cramped, the three kids would always be arguing, and pretty much all it was, was one big room with a bathroom," said Ronda.

They don't have to go through that anymore.

"A home.  Instead of a hotel," said Nakeyta, Ronda's daughter.

It's all thanks to a program, "I'll be home for Christmas"

The project was started by a local teacher and her minister husband.

The generous couple don't want to be identified, but they started the program after finding out one of the teacher's students was homeless.

Ronda's family said they're most excited about finally having some privacy.

For Ronda, it's peace of mind that her kids won't be riding the bus for an hour each way to get to school anymore.

But mostly, it's an answer to her prayers.

"When you get to the point like I did where you believe there's no hope, and you just want to back out and give up, don't do it.  Eventually god does hear what you're saying and he comes through at the right times," said Ronda.

Off camera, Ronda told me this is the best Christmas she's had since she was little.