OKLAHOMA CITY -- Just in time for Thanksgiving, Akayla K. celebrated her new home dedication with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity staff, community members, local clergy and her family on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Cornerstone Creek, Habitat's newest and largest affordable housing development in Oklahoma City.

For Akayla, this week is also extra special because it is her son's eighth birthday. The event also commemorated Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity's 1110th house built in the greater Oklahoma City area since 1990.

COHFH Chair/CEO Ann Felton Gilliland said she's pleased Akayla and her family now have their own home where they can celebrate the holidays and other special occasions.

"Although Akayla and her son, Kailen, haven't officially moved into their new home yet, we know she's highly motivated to start this new chapter in their lives," Felton Gilliland said. "It is nearly Thanksgiving, and Kailen's birthday is pending, so it seems like icing is on the cake for this Habitat family."

Akayla is a Rose State College graduate and has worked as a trauma registrar at OU Medical Center since 2018. In her application to Habitat's New Home Construction program, Akayla stated that she has always desired her own home and that after years of paying high rent for less-than-ideal conditions, she wanted a "settled environment" where she could raise her son.

COHFH now has approximately 30 homes built or under construction at Cornerstone Creek. When complete, Cornerstone Creek will have 450 affordable homes, three parks with walking trails, workout stations and a gazebo. Schoolchildren like Kailen can also attend Piedmont, Oklahoma's excellent school district.

COHFH is accepting applications for future homeowners at Cornerstone Creek. Interested applicants can take a one-minute survey at www.cornerstonecreek.org/cc-one-minute-survey or call 405-232-4828 for more information.