‘I love my boys’: fraternity house chef, ��Ŵ��¼� administrators break ground on 17th Maroon Edition Habitat home

men and women stand on dirt pile with shovels — Mississippi State officials, Starkville Habitat for Humanity representatives, community members and student volunteers gathered Thursday [Aug. 14] in rural Oktibbeha County to break ground on the 17th Maroon Edition Habitat home. Pictured from left are Habitat Board of Directors President Austin Check, Starkville Habitat Executive Director Amanda Henry, ��Ŵ��¼� President Mark E. Keenum, Habitat home recipients Danyell Latham and her sons Kasen and Robert and Starkville Habitat construction manager John Breazeale. (Photo by Emily Grace McCall)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Danyell Latham watched as a crowd of Lambda Chi Alpha members celebrated the groundbreaking of her new home Thursday [Aug. 14].

Latham has worked for the university for nearly a decade and has served as a chef for the Lambda Chi fraternity house for about a year. By November, she and her sons, Robert and Kasen Kelly, will have the keys to a house built by volunteers from Mississippi State, Starkville Habitat for Humanity and the young men she sees every day at the university.

“I love my boys. One of them said they were going to show up today and everybody else started coming,” Latham said. “This is so wonderful. I’m more than ecstatic to have a safe place for my family.”

young men and woman standing in front of a tent — Mississippi State and Starkville Habitat for Humanity officials break ground on the 17th Maroon Edition house Thursday [Aug. 14]. Habitat home recipient Danyell Latham, center, and ��Ŵ��¼� President Mark E. Keenum celebrate the start of Latham’s next chapter with members of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, where she has served as the house chef for more than a year. (Photo by Emily Grace McCall).

��Ŵ��¼� President Mark E. Keenum joined Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, Director of Student Leadership and Community Engagement Kathy Jones and Starkville Habitat President Austin Check in celebrating the groundbreaking with the Latham family.

“I’m so proud and excited for you to have a home in a few months,” Keenum said. “This is the 17th Maroon Edition home. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been a part of all 17 homes that have been built and are about to be built. …Christ taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and what a wonderful example this is to serve and help others. This is indeed an honor and a privilege to be here for this occasion to wish you and your family the very best. May God bless you. May God bless your family, and may God bless this home.”

Once complete, Latham’s home will be the fifth Habitat house built in Kelly Estates, a former 11-acre dairy farm on 16th Section Road. In the coming years, area volunteers—including ��Ŵ��¼� faculty, staff and students—will transform the site into a 30-home Habitat community.

Hyatt reflected on the late President Jimmy Carter’s legacy of outreach through Habitat for Humanity and expressed hope that this volunteer experience will inspire ��Ŵ��¼� students to live lives of service, reconciliation and peace, while wishing the Latham family a bright new beginning.

“This moment is the beginning of a new journey for your family,” she said. “A journey that will be filled with the joy of knowing this home will always be yours, the peace that comes from having a place to call home, and excitement for the laughter and fun you will share in this place.”

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