Francisco Teron
In Francisco Teron's hometown of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, lending a hand to your neighbor is a way of life. It's little wonder he and his family feel right at home with Habitat.
"Where I come from," he says, "we help each other out."
The Teron residence at 156 Central Park was the second Habitat house in Rochester and the first built from the ground up. When construction started, dozens of Rochesterians tackled the project, including Francisco and his three sons.
"It feels good that you're doing something for yourself," he says.
That frame of mind brought Francisco to Rochester in the first place. In the mid-1980s, he left Puerto Rico in search of a job. After three months in New York City, Francisco moved to Rochester at the urging of a friend. He found a job at the Automobile Club of Rochester, where he still works, and sent for his family. The Terons lived in a two-bedroom apartment before moving into their three-bedroom Habitat duplex in 1987.
Accustomed to life in a small town, Francisco and his sons had to get used to the troublesome characters who loitered in their new neighborhood. But seven Habitat houses have gone up in the area, and life on the street, Francisco says, has improved a lot since they moved in.
Story by Sally Parker
Photos by Catherine Ackerman
October 1994
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