provided to The Santiva Chronicle
“I’m a beach person. I always wanted to live in Florida. My dream was to walk out my back door and be at the beach.”
It’s not that Wanda McKittrick hasn’t lived other dreams. As a preschool teacher for 35 years, she’d helped countless youngsters in South Dakota and Colorado get a great start in life. But Florida still beckoned. Four years ago, she landed in Sanibel and started teaching at the Children’s Education Center of the Island (CECI).
“I’ve always loved kids,” said Wanda, who started helping in a kindergarten classroom when she was a high-school senior. On any given day, she teaches about 40 young children at CECI.
While she loves being part of the Sanibel community, housing on a teacher’s salary is tough to come by. Then she heard about Community Housing & Resources. To her relief, CHR found her a place at its Riverview site that Wanda could afford.
Then came Hurricane Ian, which devastated some CHR properties, including Wanda’s place. Determined to make sure no one was left homeless, CHR staff quickly mobilized to help.
“They put me in contact with FISH to get a trailer to live in temporarily,” Wanda said. “Later, CHR got me into a duplex at Airport Way. That’s where I am now.”
Having stable, affordable housing allowed Wanda to stay in Sanibel and keep shaping young lives for the future. Not only is she still teaching, Wanda lives in a supportive and friendly community thanks to CHR.
“The staff are really welcoming and very helpful, and the facilities are very nice,” she said.
And that beach dream? It’s everything Wanda thought it would be.
“It’s like I’m on vacation 24/7,” she chuckled. “It’s that kind of living.”
Community Housing & Resources provides safe, quality, affordable housing for families and individuals who work in and serve our island communities. Learn more at sancapchr.org.