Over the course of the build, 217 UAB volunteers contributed 911 hours of work.On Dec. 6, 2024, Mykallah Coach and her son, Ky’Ree, received the keys to their new home in Bessemer from Tom Brannan, UAB senior vice president for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives. Coach, who was born and raised in Birmingham, works at Salon Centric and is a member of Rock City Church. She also is now the proud owner of the eighth Habitat for Humanity house built by UAB employees through the UAB Benevolent Fund. Coach says she is excited to embark on her journey of homeownership, have financial independence and change her family’s life for the better. “Thank you for believing in me and helping me pursue my goals,” she said.
The moment was made possible through the efforts of 217 UAB volunteers who volunteered 911 hours over the course of the home build. This is an appropriate way to mark the 40th anniversary of the UAB Benevolent Fund, says Manager Lisa Higginbotham. Across those eight home builds, 3,998 volunteers contributed 18,091 hours of their time, with a total economic impact of $422,144, she notes.
The UAB Benevolent Fund's Lisa Higginbotham (second from right) and Joanna Broyles (second from left) with homeowner Mykallah Coach and her son Ky'Ree (center) and family.The Benevolent Fund’s mission is “to better our community by providing support to UAB employees in need and local nonprofits,” she said. The Benevolent Fund has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build houses since 2014 and previously offered financial support for more than two decades, Higginbotham adds. Since its establishment, the Benevolent Fund has awarded more than $44 million to local nonprofits and $4.7 million in emergency funds to UAB employees.
“We are proud to partner with the Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham Chapter to build safe, affordable housing in our community,” Higginbotham said. “Over 60 UAB employees, students and their families are proud Habitat owners. Affordable homeownership offers stability to families, which positively impacts many aspect of a family’s life, especially finances and education. The benefits of homeownership lift up our entire community.”
Story continues below slideshow
Photos by Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner and Andrea Mabry, UAB Marketing and Communications
Habitat Birmingham builds and repairs homes in partnership with low- to moderate-income families to support affordable housing and disaster recovery needs across Jefferson, Shelby, Walker and St. Clair counties.
Habitat homes are partnerships between the homeowners and Habitat chapters. Homeowners take part in a minimum of 300 hours building the home alongside volunteers like those from the Benevolent Fund, which has supported Habitat Birmingham as one of its designated nonprofits since its founding. Additionally, homeowners take 10 hours of homeownership education workshops.
Learn more about the UAB Benevolent Fund at uab.edu/benfund.
