Joy Ottem
"Woohoo!" was Joy's response when she learned she had been approved to purchase a house from Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity. She wants to own a house for the peace of mind and sense of security. She is worried that her landlord could sell the house where she lives at anytime. While she is nervous about the maintenance that comes with owning a house, she is excited to learn how to do it herself. Joy will be able to learn all about her house while she completes 200 hours of Sweat Equity.Joy, who grew up in the St. Cloud area, is an LPN and has been with her current employer since 2005. She has three boys- Jonathan, Nicholas and Benjamin, ages 13, 11 and 9. They are currently renting a house in south St. Cloud where they have lived for almost three years.
Joy and the boys are very active in the community- at church, with sports and music. Jonathan plays the trumpet in the St. Cloud All City Marching Band, Nick plays the baritone at South Junior High, Ben is learning to play the guitar, and Joy plays the piano. She dreams of one day having a family band where they can all play together! She finds free and low-cost activities, like the music at Lake George and River Bats games for them to do as a family. Joy also enjoys scrapbooking and making cards.
The Ottem family is most excited about owning a home because it is something that is theirs and that they worked hard for it. She wants a stable place for the boys to grow up so they can go to college or the military and become productive members of the society.
Joy has learned that purchasing a home from Habitat for Humanity is a long process and believes that the partnership is for a lifetime. She wants to say "THANK YOU!" to everyone that has a part of her being able to become a homeowner again.