Way to go Kim!

Yesterday afternoon, Stacy Swanson our Executive Director, gave Habitat Board Members and Staff some great news regarding Kim Larkins, our Board of Directors Chair, Construction Crew Leader and friend.

Kim (on the right) hard at work with volunteers

It just so happens that Kim is one of a select few that is being recognized for her dedication by Amgen.  She is receiving the 2011 Amgen Excellence in Volunteering Award.  And with this honor, our affiliate will receive $5,000.  For more info on Amgen's contributions and Kim's accomplishment check out: http://contributionsreport.amgen.com/staff/habitat-for-humanity

The funds will go a long way and that's awesome.  What's even greater is Kim's achievement.

Way to go Kim!

Women Build 2012 is underway

As most of our followers are aware, this week is Habitat for Humanity International's Women Build Week 2012.  Locally, there are many great ladies working hard to build homes for our next two homeowners, which happen to be women as well.  It's a wonderful event and just below is a narration from Angela, one of yesterday's awesome volunteers. 

HFH homeowner Rosa pitches in during Women Build 2011

"Today was a great build day for the 18 Monsanto people, and the 6 Lowe's crew that showed up. Everyone involved was gracious and giving. The major projects today comprised of laying shingles, painting, and some inside pre-drywall work. Everyone met Maria and she even made new friends. It was very hot and we encouraged sunblock and water intake....some lost track of their bottles. Lowe's brought some bags to give away and will again tomorrow. Debra brought oranges and Angela brought crystal light. We had pizza for lunch instead of McDonalds, but no one seemed to mind, and munched on the trail mix snacks while waiting for delivery. The toilets the park were open which made it very nice. Matt and Mike were great and helpful as well as the regular very experienced volunteer crew. Coffee was brought in by Denise from Monsanto....Starbucks makes gallon to go insulated containers....I had forgotten how innovative Americans are when it comes to convenience items. I think that covers most of our day. Thanks so much for allowing me to participate." 

Kind regards,

Angela

Thank you Angela, for sharing your thoughts with all of us.

INTUIT chips in at the office

Last Thursday, the weather didn't cooperate and as a result, we couldn't host any volunteers at the Stroube site. The good folk from INTUIT, which have become regular volunteers with us, had signed up to to work but had no where to go.

Well, taking advantage of their humble disposition, we asked if they could pitch in at the office and help with some much needed routine maintenance.  We also had gobs and gobs of data entry that needed to be taken care of.  So without batting an eye, they jumped right into the fray, no questions asked.  Some of them even helped at the ReStore.  Thanks to them, part of our modest office had some fresh paint applied, the day's ReStore donations were processed quickly and the data entry work was completed - ALL of it.

How cool are these volunteers?

Their spirit of service is awesome!  This goes to show that whether it's volunteering at a construction or home preservation site, at either ReStore or pitching in at the office, the cause is one and the same, a county where everyone has a decent place to live.

Louisville H.S. does their part

While spending most of last Friday morning on the Minor Repair site in Ventura, Matthew O. stopped by to pick up some tools and equipment to take back with him to the Stroube St. site.  He mentioned how stoked he was since the ladies from Louisville High School out of Woodland Hills were doing an awesome job.

I had already heard that these ladies did excellent work so I decided to stop by the Stroube St. site on my way back to Oxnard and see what they were up to.  When I arrived on site, they were as busy as can be completing a fence, staging materials for the next day and keeping the site clean.  As expected, this great group of gals lived up to the reputation they are known for - exceptionally hard workers.  Kudos to all of you!  Thank you so much for your time and effort!

That particular Friday was cold and a bit blustery however, these wonderful ladies showed up, braved the weather and helped us in our mission to fight homelessness - way to go Louisville! 

Many thanks to volunteers from CET and St. Maximilian Kolbe!

We are well into the new year and I'm proud to announce that we have graduated to the next component of our Preserve a Home program.  It's called Minor Repair and it encompasses a greater scope of work than A Brush With Kindness.  This particular component is exciting since we actually go into the home and address weatherization and safety issues, not to mention re-freshening interior walls with a new coat of paint (and maybe a change of color/decor???).

So work is underway for our first Minor Repair home and before the project evolves any further, I wanted to give kudos to the crew from Center for Employment Training for their hard work in removing the old asphalt driveway and the concrete walkway on Friday 3/9.  There are several tasks in the overall scope for this preservation project and they undertook one of the hardest.

The work they completed wasn't easy but that didn't matter, they still dug in and got the job done.  Towards the end of the day, Ivan was wearing down as he swung an axe as part of the tree stump removal project we have going on there.  As he was slowing down between swings, Armando reassured him and says "That's right, keep swingin', you make that axe get tired".  Well, it's safe to say that the Armando's will prevailed..........the axe did get tired before Armando did.

Special thanks are also in order for Freddy Kailer from the U.S. Navy for his hard work too.  We look forward to his return to one of our Habitat for Humanity of VC jobsites along with the rest of his crew soon.

Another group of awesome volunteers we owe thanks to came from St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village CA.  There was extensive landscape work to be done in the backyard and these fine young men and women did an outstanding job clearing out brush and trimming trees and hedges.  And none of them quit despite the spiders, cobwebs and other really cool bugs that were discovered while cleaning out the backyard.

The landscape work was also one of the larger tasks that needed to be addressed and thanks to them, it was substantially completed.  As Linda their Coordinator put it, "Thank you for spending your Saturday with us".  I could not have said that better myself.................

These workdays are really a great deal of fun, not to mention rewarding.  In just a few short hours, you see the fruit of your labor and how your work dramatically transforms the home.  Would you like to help us transform homes?  No experience?  No worries, it's not necessary.  Sign up through our website at http://www.habitatventura.org/volunteer/volunteer-sign-up.  I will be looking for you at the site!

Searching for Homes That Need Repair

 

As the Preserve a Home program develops its A Brush With Kindness (ABWK) throughout Ventura County, we continue our search for more homes that need some "TLC".  ABWK is Ventura County Habitat for Humanity's program that helps lower-income homeowners complete simple, exterior home improvements.  In the past 6 months, we have "brushed" 3 homes and the 4th is nearing completion.  But that's not enough, we need to find more families and homes to serve.  We are accepting applications from all throughout the County, but for this next particular wave of ABWK homes, we are specifically looking for owner-occupied homes in the Nyeland Acres/El Rio area and/or in the City of Ventura's westside.  

 

The ABWK program is simple in nature.  Habitat for Humanity provides the donated volunteer labor and the homeowner pays for the necesary materials to repair the home's exterior through a zero interest loan.  Yes, you read correctly, a zero interest loan.  You don't see too many of those nowadays, especially in construction.  These loans can range up to $5,000 and payments are individually tailored for each famliy based on financial need. However, to qualify for this program, homeowners must meet a minimum criteria.

 

 

As part of our search, we will be having a presentation on the ABWK program and how it works at the Nyeland Community Center (3334 Santa Clara St.) on Thursday February 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm. We will feature some cool before and after pictures of the homes we have transformed and answer questions as well.

 

Do you have a home that can use some work? Or do you know of someone that can benefit from this great service? For further information, details on how to qualify or to download a Pre-Application, please visit our website or call (805) 485-6065, ext. 202.

Hungry for Sharky's?

Last month, we had the opportunity to start our "Brush With Kindness" home #4 in Simi Valley.  We were fortunate enough in having some hard-working young men and women from the CLEAR Program, as well as students from Agoura and Westlake High Schools participate in this latest Preserve a Home project. 

We also had the good folks from Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill help us out.  They had the clever idea of celebrating their holiday party by volunteering for us about a week before Christmas.  How cool is that?

The crew from Sharkey's worked hard all morning as they prepped the home for the primer application.  They power-washed, caulked, spackled and left everything ready so the painting volunteers could do their thing the following day. 

And making good on a promise made, I have posted their group picture on this blog.  For one reason or another, I never got around to posting their picture.  But as the saying goes, it's better late than not at all. 

Gracias Sharky's!