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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - December 2, 2008
Linda Kastning Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
December 2, 2008

Ponca, Nebraska Resident Wins Cash Award To Support Affordable Home Ownership Program For Low Income Single Mothers


(New York, NY, December 2, 2008) - Ponca, Nebraska resident Linda Kastning, 62, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Linda was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. She is the first recipient of a Hello Tomorrow Fund award in Nebraska since the program launched in 2007, and was selected by a newly expanded panel of judges that now includes Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, and actress Phylicia Rashad. Linda will use her award to furnish seven low-income households run by single mothers with a new washer/dryer, stove range, or refrigerator, as part of Nebraska’s Northeast Housing Initiative (NEHI).

NEHI helps low-income families purchase an affordable home and in the rural, six-county area of northeastern Nebraska, many low-income households are run by single women. Often, these women do not have the resources to purchase a home, making it difficult to provide stability to their families. Through a process called “rehab housing,” NEHI purchases approximately 20 homes per year, renovates and refurbishes them, and then resells each home at a low cost. Additionally, the organization assists these women through the often intimidating loan process, providing 20% of the selling price as a 0% interest loan for the down payment of the home. This enables single mothers to purchase a home for her family with limited liquid assets.

For eight years, as Executive Director of NEHI, Linda has helped nearly 175 low-income families in six counties of northeastern Nebraska purchase their first home. Before joining NEHI, she worked as a city clerk, a teacher, in community development, and served on a rental assistance board. Recognizing northeastern Nebraska’s need for housing improvement for low-income families, Linda made it her mission to make the process of buying a home easier. “Low-income, single mothers face a lot. To be able to provide a home for their families is so rewarding,” she says.

Although NEHI’s program makes it possible for low-income women to purchase homes for their families, there are many additional costs to building a household. Many times, the homes bought through NEHI lack basic appliances, as those goods are not authorized to be purchased with the government funds which support NEHI. Now, with help from the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, Linda and NEHI will be able to offer appliances to seven households, ultimately benefiting 21 women and children of all ages. As eligible women prepare to purchase their homes, the first seven that show need for a household appliance will be able to have a washer/dryer, a stove range, or a modest refrigerator for their home. Thanks to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, seven female-led women will own a home of their own. This will enable these women to create stability for their families, and empower them to be successful in their everyday lives. But the effort reaches far beyond only seven families, says Linda. “Every woman homeowner is helping to advance the interests of all other women in society. Their daughters’ self-esteem rises as they see their mothers achieve this goal.”

Linda’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund met the criteria of clearly presenting unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including personal finance expert Suze Orman, actress Phylicia Rashad, Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, and experts in business and grantmaking. “Helping low-income women become homeowners is such a wonderful thing to do,” commented judge Anne Dowling on Linda’s proposal. “Providing an appliance for a home seems like a small thing, but it will mean the world to the homeowners who are striving to create stability and become solid members of the community.”

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