David Meeks of Forsyth, Georgia submitted a photo capturing the excitement of his little boy’s reaction to seeing his own room for the first time in the family’s new home. The photo and accompanying story resulted in him becoming the first $250,000 winner in the Wells Fargo “What Makes a Home” contest. David and Melissa Meeks said the contest win will enable them to pay off their mortgage.

“This is such exciting news,” said Meeks, a high school social studies teacher. “It will mean a lot to our family.”

“It’s a great gift,” added his wife, Melissa Meeks. “This will get us beyond treading water financially.”

The Meeks family, who just moved into their new home, is the first of three winners who will be awarded $250,000 for submitting, in words and images, an answer to the contest question: “What makes a place feel like a home?” The entry can be viewed at www.wellsfargo.com/homecontest. This is the first contest of its kind by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

“We are excited to congratulate the Meeks family as our first contest winner and are equally excited that the funds will help the family meet their financial goals,” said Greg Gwizdz, executive vice president and retail sales manager, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. “The Meeks’ entry exemplifies that emotional connection to homeownership that we all have. We are happy to celebrate that through our contest.”

The contest entry was inspired by the Meeks’ son, Will, and described the meaning of a new home for him – a room of his own and a place to learn while he plays. Part of the entry’s narrative, “Where ownership becomes sharing and where pride develops responsibility,” conveys how David and Melissa want to teach their son about homeownership through experiences in his room.

“Will is learning about the chores of homeownership and the responsibility of taking care of things in his room like his toys and the furniture,” said Melissa Meeks. “He’s also learning how to share with friends who play less carefully with his toys than he does. These are lessons he can learn with us and through us owning a home.”

Sharing is an important Meeks family value, and they plan to demonstrate it with the contest win by donating $25,000 of their winnings to the Fuller Center for Housing of Macon, Georgia. The center offers hardship repairs for low-income families in the Macon area.