Tampa Bay Area Hooters Celebrates 7th Habitat For Humanity Build

TAMPA BAY, FL — Several employees from the Tampa Bay area Hooters locations joined representatives from Habitat for Humanity as the Elias family received the keys to their new home.

The dedication ceremony took place in St. Petersburg with homeowner Monica Elias and her granddaughter Yulkesia. This is the seventh home Hooters has sponsored and volunteered at in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties.

“Habitat for Humanity is a program that completely changed my life forever and made me a better person,” said homeowner Monica Elias. “My life has been very difficult and challenging raising kids as a single parent. It is really hard and you’re the only one with the income trying to make ends meet."

Tampa Bay area Hooters representatives who attended the dedication ceremony are Brooklyn Bell and Auna Ferro, who both work at the John’s Pass Hooters location, Kenny Washington who works at the Tampa Hooters location, and HMC Hospitality Group community liaison Lesley Price.

Bell has volunteered four times and attended the dedication ceremony to present Elias with the Habitat hammer, which is symbolic for all the hours and sweat equity she put in to make her dreams come true.

“It was a rewarding experience to work on Monica’s house. I’m so glad I was also able to be there for the dedication ceremony. Seeing her and her family and their reaction really drove home how important this organization is. I appreciate Hooters for giving me this opportunity,” said Bell.

Kitchen coordinator Kenny Washington from North Tampa Hooters had the opportunity to present Monica with the key to her forever home.

“Volunteering for Monica meant growth, change and opportunity for me. Having the opportunity to work on Monica’s home was a life-changing experience. I gained information, motivation and created a goal for myself. I’d like to call this opportunity a growth milestone, as I continue to take advantage of opportunities like volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. I can now see myself as a homeowner,” said Washington.

“Affordable housing is a major challenge many families in our community are facing. We are very thankful to be able to assist local families including the Elias Family with a place to call home. Every year, our team at Hooters looks forward to volunteering to help at the Habitat builds and to attend the families' Habitat dedication ceremony when they receive their keys,” said Denise Williams, chief marketing officer of HMC Hospitality Group.

The team at Hooters volunteered a combined 234 hours assisting with framing, window and door installation, insulation installation and painting during this year’s Habitat Build.

HMC Hospitality Group has also sponsored previous homes for the Clarke family, Hooten family, Miller family, Hicks family, Smith family and Hayes family. Since 2016, HMC Hospitality Group has presented Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties a total of $611,600 and donated over 2,102 hours of time to build local homes.