Victorious Hawthorne-Charles brims with upbeat energy.

You can’t talk to her for long without being caught up in her positive enthusiasm and quick laugh.

If she didn’t tell you, you’d never know that she has faced serious challenges in her young life. Victorious grew up as one of eight children in a struggling family. She went into foster care at age 13 and bounced from school to school before being adopted.

Yet, Victorious feels blessed not bitter. Her infectious optimism comes from her faith, she says.

“I love the Lord,” she says with a wide smile. “You’re going to hear me talk about Him all the time. It’s pretty big when God blesses you. It just overflows from me.”

One of those blessings is a new home. Victorious is purchasing one of three built as part of the 2026 Women Build held in March by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County. The homes are going up on 13th Street just north of downtown West Palm Beach.

Victorious is a single parent to 4-year-old Elijah. The two of them now live in the Villages of Hope. It’s an affordable housing program run by Place of Hope that provides shelter for single mothers, aged-out foster children, and homeless youth.

Victorious, who works for a bank, is looking forward to having a place that she can call her own. She and Elijah will soon be moving into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house that includes a small yard.

“I’m really looking forward to having a garden,” she said. “I’d like to grow some vegetables.”

Victorious said that the camaraderie of working on her future home alongside other women was a transformational experience. “These are women I can relate to, I can talk to. They understand my journey. Some are moms, some are grandmothers, some are aunties. They are overjoyed for me.

“I feel like we’re in this together. It gives me hope and excitement for the future.”

Habitat’s Women Build is an annual event that brings together hundreds of women (and some men) to raise funds and build homes.

To find out more about Women Build, CLICK HERE.

Victorious believes her faith had a direct hand in leading her to Habitat for Humanity.

“One day I was outside playing with my son when the coordinator for the housing program where I live brought a Habitat application to another resident,” she recalls. “It wasn’t for me.

“But the coordinator said to me, ‘Do you want an application, too?’

“God put me in the right place at the right time.”

At the groundbreaking ceremony for her home, Victorious spoke from the heart. “My home will be filled with joy, love, and peace,” she said. “I can see my living room being an area where I can host Bible study with my sisterhood group.

“I can hear laughter and shared memories… or the pride of watching my garden produce fruits from my labor. I am so excited to see what God has in store for our future home.”

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Written by Steve Plamann, a dedicated Habitat for Humanity volunteer.