First in line, Wilnise Profilice had to see it before she believed it. The 8-year-old made sure she was first in the door to her new home.
“I’m really happy,” she beamed while walking inside.
And what did she find inside? A bedroom to call her own, forever.
“We’re gonna have a bunk bed right here,” she explained.
Wilnise's mom and dad moved to South Florida from Haiti before she was born. For years, they've searched for a permanent home.
“I just wanna be raised in a house,” said Wilnise, who added she can’t remember how many times the family has moved.
“I’ve had a lot of struggles. I moved from apartment to apartment with my kids. Rent is so high. I’ve been with bed bugs,” explained Wilnise’s mother, Altagrace Bonhomme.
Now, thanks to Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County, the family has stability they dreamed off when they came to America.
“I have to take care of this house like I take care of myself and my family. This house is the best thing I have in my life right now,” said Wilson Profilice, Wilnise’s father.
The chase to achieve the American dream hits home for Jay DiPietro. The son of Italian immigrants, he's now the president of Boca West Country Club.
Club members donated $85,000 to make the Profilice dream a reality.
“When we see people in our community who are not getting the breaks that are needed to become fully enjoying the American dream, we want to help,” DiPietro said.
Wilnise hopes she never wakes up from this dream.