Home for the holidays

A St. Louis sports legend helped make a house a home for a single parent of two who just bought her first home.

Super Bowl champion and former St. Louis Rams Quarterback Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation teamed up with U-Haul, Habitat for Humanity and Aaron’s Inc. to reward a first-time homebuyer with a house filled with $10,000 worth of food, furniture, and appliances.

“I remember our first night in our first home,” said Warner, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.

“We had no furniture, nothing to put in it. We put down blankets, my wife and two kids. We remembered this was the beginning, the beginning of something special. (I know) what it meant for our kids (to have furniture and appliances), our confidence and what we can accomplish and how that catapulted us forward.

“They work to get into the home. Then we work to set them up where it’s like no more burdens. Now we can just move forward with your family.”

For the past 20 years First Things First Foundation has surprised 57 families, 24 here in the St. Louis area. 

Tekeira Jones is a mother of two and a first-time homebuyer. She said this gesture during the holidays is moving and memorable. 

“This means so much to me,” Jones said.

“All the dedication and everything we put towards buying this home, it has finally come to an end, and I am so grateful.

“I am so happy that my kids can have a comfortable home of their own. I can’t express how happy I am of [Habitat for Humanity] to where you put your best foot forward and do things like this.”