Brothers DeCarlos, left, and Deontae Alexander get ready to enter their new Franklin home built by county high school students.

Dedication ends two-month labor of love
By ALEXA GOSS
For Brentwood Home Page
Deontae and DeCarlos Alexander were all smiles Sunday at the dedication of their new house in Franklin. Making the day possible were students from the Habitat High chapters at seven local high schools, including Brentwood, Ravenwood and Currey Ingram Academy.

Kathi Johnson presents a gift to Ravenwood juniors Amanda Oldani and Emily Segar.

Franklin High coordinator Barbara Rogers, presents DeCarlos with the house keys and Deontae with the mortgage.

The brothers pose for a picture in front of their new home, surrounded by family and friends.

The Alexanders are living together after the death of their parents. Older brother DeCarlos  is confined to a wheelchair but now has a house that is easy to move around in and has appliances that are easy to use thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, Lowes, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency and  the Habitat High members who provided the funds and labor needed to build the home over the past two months.

Sunday’s dedication ceremony started with a prayer and ended with the brothers cutting the ribbon and leading the gathered crowd on a tour of their new home.

The brothers said they are very thankful for the outpouring of charity and love that they have received. But they are not the only people thankful for this opportunity.  Participating students who attended Sunday had nothing but good things to say about the experience. 

“Building this house makes me more grateful for what I have and makes me want to give back even more,”  Ravenwood junior Amanda Oldani said.

RHS junior Emily Sager agreed. “It was amazing to see the house go up and know that I am making a difference,” she said. These two girls were just two of the Ravenwood students who helped with drywall and window insulation on the weekend they participated in the build.