Collegiate Challenge 2015

Hey Everyone! We’re back again with an update for you! Last week, we finally had our collegiate challenge! This year, we had students from Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity come out again and share their hard work and experiences with Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County. It was a very fun and rewarding week for them and for all of us as well. We would like to thank them for coming out and spending their entire spring break with us and sharing in this amazing journey to better homes and living for hardworking people. While they were out here, they were able to work at the Trinity Lane site as well as work at the Casa Del Norte Mobile Home Park! Before they left, we had the opportunity to interview some of the students that came out for spring break. One of the people that we interviewed was the group lead, Roy. Here’s what he had to say when we asked him how he felt working with Habitat impacts the students who come here and help out during their spring breaks:

I think that the kids really benefit from seeing the future homeowners come out here and work with them. I think for them to actually see the people that they are really helping, I feel is a really big benefit for them. Also, being a group of engineers, they get to us some of their engineering skills out here on the work site and to see them apply mathematics and science it really gives them that hands on experience they don’t usually get in the classroom. It takes a special type of person to want to give up their spring break to come out here and give their time back and these kids seem to really enjoy the challenge and the excitement of helping these families, as they come out here in the hot sun and work! It’s a lot of fun and they do have a lot of time to also enjoy their spring break as well so I think it’s a very beneficial experience for everyone.

We would like to thank Theta Tau again for coming out here and spending their spring break with us! We look forward to seeing you all again next year! We would also like to thank all of the people in the community who helped make this year’s Collegiate Challenge so wonderful by contributing lunches for the challengers and for providing a place for the students to stay! Thank you to Costco, Wood Ranch, Zapparelli's Pizzeria, Subway, and Don Howald from Camarillo United Methodist Church!

Wall Raising at Trinity Lane - Home #1

This is a great video.  I'm not even going to write some sort of narrative to try and describe what is happening here.  Good people, doing good work.  Period.  For more really cool videos, please visit our YouTube page: Habitat Ventura videos.

"I feel happy"

Last Saturday night, our affiliate held it's second annual Hearts & Hammers Dinner and Auction.  The evening was nice, good friends, warm atmosphere and a wonderful meal.  Bob Carey, resident photographer, did an awesome job again capturing the spirit of the event.  We celebrated the fact that we have begun to build again, after a 2 year hiatus.  We celebrated the exciting direction where we are headed and most of all we just celebrated all things "Habitat".

The evening was truly enjoyable, I'm not kidding, it really was.  It fun to compete with other attendees for live and silent auction items and it was exciting to hear from our Executive Director as to where the affiliate is headed, now that our current development is underway.

I thought the best part of the event was hearing from Rosa, one of our 56 Habitat homeowners, regarding the life-changing event she and her family went through almost 4 years ago.  They went through a dramatic change as they moved from a small, cramped garage to a brand new, beautiful single family home.

But no one in the room captured the audience's attention like Mariana did.  Mariana is Rosa's young daughter and she put into words how she felt about the whole experience.

Obviously, Mariana's written words cannot compare to her spoken ones, but her message is one and the same - gratitude, so thank you Mariana, for sharing your thoughts with all of us.

Huge Turnout and Huge Thanks at Our Latest Family Selection Orientations

After a nearly two-year-long wait, we at HfHVC are excited to announce that new construction on Cemetery Road in Santa Paula is underway! The lot will be the site for 8 future homes, and with our first two families already selected, we've begun the selection process for the following homeowners. Two Family Selection Orientations were held at the Santa Paula Community Center this past week to guide families through the processes necessary to become HfH homeowners.

The Orientations were massive successes with a total of nearly 200 families in attendance! Due to the efforts of our extremely capable volunteers and Family Selection Committee, both events went off without a hitch. A huge thank you to them and all those who attended the meetings!

Another thank you is in order to the Boys Team Charity of Conejo Valley for their help in posting flyers advertising the event in Santa Paula. You can check out the Ventura County Star article detailing their work here.