As a Knoxville native, C’airra is glad to be raising her two daughters, Malaya (8) and Meilani (5), in the same community she grew up in.
It is important to C’airra that her daughters are active in their community. “I want them to be involved,” C’airra says. “As they grow up, I want them to be active and to teach them about responsibility and commitments.” C’airra’s daughters are both cheerleaders at their school, and C’airra loves supporting them and taking photos at every game.
Faith plays a big role in this family’s life, and C’airra and her girls are very involved in their church community. C’airra shares, “The girls come in and wake me up on Sundays, they are so excited to go to church.”
Nothing matters more to C’airra than her faith and her family. C’airra has cultivated a strong bond with her girls, their dad, and both of their extended families. Together, this tight-knit family loves to swim, enjoy local playgrounds and parks, visit the Knoxville Botanical Garden, and find adventure outdoors.
Outside of her main role as mom to her two daughters, C’airra works in sanitation for a local manufacturing plant. She credits her own mom with helping her become the loving and hardworking mother she is today. “My mom is my biggest supporter and my backbone. I can always depend and rely on her no matter the situation.”
C’airra moves diligently, patiently, and optimistically through all of life’s trials, but after years of living in an apartment with unsafe conditions, she is ready for a change for herself and her daughters.
Between all her work and family commitments, C’airra is constantly dealing with maintenance issues in her two-bedroom apartment that take up a lot of her time and energy. The frequent plumbing, air conditioning, and overall problems in the apartment complex make it a difficult environment for her family to live in. “The problems that were wrong with the apartment when we moved in are still there,” C’airra shares. “They still haven’t fixed them.”
All of these issues have led to unnecessary stress and health concerns, and they have taken away from precious time C’airra would much rather spend enjoying with her family.
After years of renting frustration, C’airra is thrilled to begin building her forever home with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity. C’airra says, “I’m tired of paying rent. I’m ready to pay a mortgage.” With the way cost of living is going up right now, this is going to be the best thing for us.”
C’airra and her two girls are excited to plant flowers and a vegetable garden in their yard. They can’t wait to decorate their rooms and make their house feel like home. This home will bring with it a wonderful community, full of other hardworking families and children whom they will call neighbors and friends. Most importantly, this home will provide C’airra with strength, stability, and peace of mind as her children grow and thrive in a healthy and safe environment.
