The day Resty received an email from his National City Councilmember, Jose Rodriguez, will be one that he remembers forever. When he was a student at Mesa College, he joined his peers in the honors society to volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity job site, learning about the homeownership program and helping to build houses in his community. So, when he read Councilmember Rodriguez’s email announcing that Habitat was building six new affordable homes for purchase near his daughter’s school, he knew he had to apply for the program.

Resty and his wife, Lucy, are immigrants from the Philippines and have been married since 2009. For the past 14 years, Resty has worked at the Defense Commissary Agency as Assistant Grocery Manager. He enjoys ensuring veterans and active-duty military personnel and their families have access to food and other necessities.

The couple has two wonderful daughters – Athena (9) is in 4th grade, and Mackenzie (7) is in 1st grade. Athena loves math, nature, and writing stories in her mini books. She wants to be an astronaut. Mackenzie has autism, and loves expressing herself through drawing and singing; she stays active by running, climbing, and jumping all the time!

The girls, like many students, had their struggles through distance learning during the pandemic school closures. But they worked hard and proved their resiliency, embracing technology and the digital world. Education is one of the most important things in Resty and Lucy’s home. Resty has shown his commitment to education by returning to school himself, receiving his bachelor’s degree this Spring (’22) from the University of California, Berkeley. He plans to continue his graduate study and believes education can lead everyone to more opportunities in life.

As a family, faith in God and making memories together are of the utmost importance. The family likes to travel together exploring new places, making sandcastles at the beach, and going for long drives appreciating nature; they take many photos and videos along the way. They are looking forward to the stability their new home will provide and making lots of new memories there together.

Lucy and Resty, the first in their families to own a home, are grateful for the stability it will provide. They have dreams of starting their own business, planting fruits and vegetables, and spending family time together in the backyard. They are thankful for the life-changing opportunity that has been provided to them through the generosity of Habitat’s supporters and volunteers.