The Ayala family of White City traded an older two-bedroom mobile home Wednesday for a newly built three-bedroom home on Medford’s Delta Waters Road.

The recipients of the latest home built by First Story, a nonprofit created by Hayden Homes in 1998, Jesus and Flor Ayala tackled everything from credit struggles and lack of savings to a pandemic and regional fires to achieve their long-awaited homecoming.

Founded in 1998, First Story offers home ownership programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana and collaborates with community organizations like ACCESS to find families who meet specific criteria.

If selected, the families are offered a zero-down, zero-interest, 30-year mortgage.

More than 50 community members, home builders and local agencies were on hand to celebrate the Ayala family’s milestone Wednesday morning.

Chick-fil-A catered lunch, music played, and the family’s two children, Yulissa, 9, and Malakai, 7, were decked out in fancy outfits.

The family, who moved from L.A. 11 years ago, scrimped and saved to buy the used mobile home. Then they signed up in 2019 for a homeowner preparedness program run by ACCESS that focuses on homebuyer education, financial literacy coaching and foreclosure prevention counseling.

Wednesday’s event was emceed by Claire Duncan, First Story executive director, who sported a neon jogging suit and danced to a remix version of the song “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. Lyrics were changed out to tell the Ayala family’s story.

After doing a disco-style dance and waving a gold-sequined microphone, Duncan dabbed tears at times while sharing the family’s story.

“They were just about ready to meet with a lender three years ago. They were feeling good about the debt they had paid off. Their credit had improved. Savings were good. Then COVID hit, and it really took a toll on their family,” Duncan said.

“They went through the first-time homebuyer program twice, because their original homebuyer certificate had expired.”

Now celebrating its 25th year, First Story approached ACCESS in January. ACCESS homeownership program supervisor Denise Lupton, who met the family when Malakai was a toddler, said the family had waited longer than any others served by the ACCESS program.

“When we first heard from Claire, I just knew that they were the family. There were several that met all the criteria, but when I went back and sorted the names of our families, the Ayalas were one of the oldest cases we still had open. … They’d been waiting the longest, but every time we got their hopes up, something had pulled the rug out from beneath them.”

Duncan said the family’s path would be forever changed by home ownership.

“These kids are going to have a different journey now, because Jesus and Flor are having a different journey than their family had. They’re not only first-time homebuyers, but the first generation in their family to have that opportunity,” said Duncan.

Shifting her attention to a giant cupcake piñata hanging nearby, Duncan said the piñata was added for the kids. Yuli and Malakai — who goes by James — took turns smacking the piñata before their dad took a whack, splitting the vessel and spilling confetti, candy — and a set of keys.

“The keys!” Yuli shouted, scooping them up.

Brand new carpet, shiny counters and big windows greeted the family inside the front door. In the main hallway, a cricket watched the excitement unfold. Lupton smiled and told the children that in some cultures, a cricket inside the home is a sign of luck.

Jesus Ayala showed off his new home and wiped away tears.

“Right when I first moved here, I looked for work and saved up. … Since then, we’ve just been climbing the ladder. I’ve been working hard so I could move on and make more money, so I could make sure my family has what they need,” he said.

A kitchen installer and warehouse manager for Curtis Restaurant, Ayala said he was grateful to have a good job and to have been selected by First Story.

“It’s just been a shock to us. We’re still trying to receive it in. … It’s just a dream come true. It’s magical,” he said.

“Even though we’re grateful for the home we have lived in — it’s taken care of us — we’ve been wanting to have something we could call our own.”

Flor Ayala said it was “1,000 times more special” to celebrate their new home with community.

“It feels like it’s still a dream to have a new home, and to have all of these beautiful people who were here celebrating with us,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for anything different.”

Brett Swanson, Hayden Homes regional director, said the family helped with some basic construction jobs.

“It was fun to let the kids participate in building their own bedrooms. We helped both kids write their names on the headers of their bedroom windows. They got to pick out their rooms,” Swanson said.

“I’m excited to have my own room,” Yuli said. “I’m gonna stay with white walls for now. I’m gonna put a vanity in my room, and a bed, of course — I need a bed — and a TV … and a little bench close to my window.

“I’m so happy we have a new house.”

For information, see hayden-homes.com/first-story/the-story