GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Bradford County woman not only cut her daily commute in half but changed her life dramatically after becoming the newest resident of Green Cove Springs.

For over 15 years, Cathy Davy commuted from the trailer she rented in Starke to her job in Orange Park. The trip was 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back. Now, after putting in over 300 hours sweating over paint brushes and power tools, her commute will take less than half as long after connecting with Clay County Habitat for Humanity.

“I’m just so excited for this, for all of this,” Davy said. “I’m at a loss for words.”

While the house at 1507 North St. in Green Cove Springs has been there for some time, it didn’t become a home until Sept. 21, when Habitat officials dedicated the house in Davy’s honor. Davy received the key to open the doors to her new home and new life. Alongside Davy was her daughter, A’shaureah Bass, 15, as well as several of Davy’s family members from the Starke area like her sister, her brother, her son and even her niece.

Each house built by Clay County Habitat for Humanity usually comes with a sponsor. In recent buildouts, it’s been local staples like Publix. However, this time, the Jacksonville Jaguars and TIAA Bank – formerly EverBank – were the helping hands behind the home. A representative from TIAA Bank attended the dedication alongside two Jacksonville Roar cheerleaders and Jaxson de Ville, the famed Jaguars mascot. Davy and her daughter hugged the eccentric mascot after he handed her two tickets to an upcoming Jaguars game.

This dedication was not only a historic moment for the Davy family, but, like every home dedication, a big day for Clay County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Carolyn Edwards as well. The Davy house marks milestones for the organization and the city.

“We are just absolutely delighted to celebrate this day,” Edwards said. “It’s another home built in this great city and the 105th of 165. We’ve already got another five or six homes coming into [Green Cove Springs] too. We’re always looking for the next homebuyer and this city is a perfect fit for our mission.”

While these homes might seem like acts of charity, they’re actually houses the homeowner must purchase like any other homebuyer. They pay a mortgage payment each month and if they default, they lose the house. Edwards said their clients are given months of financial preparation for this shift from, in Davy’s case, renting to owning. Each client must have a credit score in the low 600s at least, which Habitat for Humanity helps make happen.

Families must bring in at least $2,200 a month and if they have bankruptcy on their record, it must have been discharged within the past three years. Program rules also prevent clients from having a felony conviction on their record within the past seven years and they must put in at least 300 hours of volunteer work into the organization.

Often, this volunteer work is completed on the house that the volunteer will one day own. Davy was not alone in volunteering, though. Her daughter and many other Habitat for Humanity volunteers lent a helping hand as well. One volunteer didn’t even know “Mrs. Davy’s” first name because he, and everyone else, always called her mom because she always had children around – she also treated everyone involved like her own.

Bass said she used tools she had never touched before and completed tasks she never thought she would at this age, such as installing windows. Despite the hard work building a home takes, she wouldn’t trade in a second of it for free time.

“I learned so much from all of this and a lot of it was actually very interesting,” Bass said. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything. It’s a dream come true for me, for my mom, for us.”