Habitat OC meets Nepal

Five volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, California have traveled to Nepal to be a part of the Everest Build. The Everest Build 2010 will celebrate more than a decade of Habitat’s work in the mountainous nation of Nepal. Hundreds of volunteers from all over the world will join together to shine a light on the scourge of substandard housing and demonstrate what can be accomplished when families, communities and nations come together to build a future where every man, woman and child has a decent place to live. Everest Build 2010 volunteers will focus on building at least 30 houses in one week in a community near the city of Pokhara.

Our groups consists of the following people:

• Jaymie Fisher, Director of Volunteer Services & Special Events
• Richard Martinez, Construction Site Supervisor
• Anne Thorward, Habitat OC Supporter
• Adelle Yeaton, Habitat OC Supporter
• and me, Sharon Ellis, Executive Director

Jaymie and Richard just joined Anne, Adelle and me in Kathmandu. Here's what Jaymie has to say about that -- After 30+ hours of travel we finally made it to Kathmandu, Nepal. WOW!!! I will spend a day and a half here and then leave Saturday for Pokhara, Nepal. That will be our base for building. Thank you for all the positive thoughts. Namaste!

Stay tuned for more on our travel adventures in Nepal's capital and largest city in Nepal, Kathmandu.

Housing in Hong Kong

I want to share a photo Adelle took of housing in Hong Kong. As we make our way to the Everest Build in Nepal, the excitement is building. We can't wait to build affordable Habitat for Humanity homes for hardworking families in Nepal. Wonder what the homes will look like...

On our way to the Everest Build

With the dedication behind us, I began my trip to Nepal early with a couple of my friends, Adelle and Anne. Both Adelle and Anne are Habitat OC supporters and are joining me on the Everest Build. Our first stop, Hong Kong!

After 14 hours in the air with limited sleep, we arrived in Hong Kong and whisked through immigration and customs. We took the speed train into town and spent the day exploring this incredible city. From shopping to sightseeing to eating, the day was full. In fact, we finished the day with a foot massage - and after all the walking we did, it was the perfect ending.

Seeing Hong Kong at night is breathtaking. The lights shimmer from building after building. Some change colors as you watch while others grow brighter in intensity. We are staying with a cousin of Anne at The Summit, one of the highest apartment buildings in the city! Absolutely beautiful.

And now since I can't remember when I last slept, I'm ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be another day of new adventures, then traveling to the airport by 4:00 for our flight to Kathmandu.

Until then, feel free to share any traveling tips.

We did it!

On Saturday eighteen families made history as they received the keys to the homes they have purchased in the final phase of the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for FamiliesTM neighborhood in San Juan Capistrano, California. These 18 families joined nine families who purchased homes in phases one and two, and together they will become the first neighborhood of Habitat homes sold to active military, military veterans and local civilian families.

We are thrilled to be the first Habitat affiliate in the country to create a neighborhood where active military, military veterans and local civilian families can purchase an affordable home in a great community. As we welcome these last 18 families to our 27-home development in San Juan Capistrano, we are especially pleased that three homes in this development have been purchased by active duty military families, and eight have been purchased by military veteran families. Our goal is to continue to reach out to military and veterans in Orange County to offer them affordable homeownership opportunities. We hope that other Habitat affiliates around the country are able to replicate the pilot program we’ve created so that they too can build similar neighborhoods in their communities.

Long time no see...

Hello friends! It has been a while since my last blog entry, but you’ll be happy to know that Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has been full of activity for the past couple of months. We are currently getting ready for the dedication of 18 homes, part of the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families™ pilot program in San Juan Capistrano. Local families will receive the keys to their homes and attain the American dream of homeownership. Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who have helped at this site. I'll share photos with you in my next entry for your enjoyment, but here is a little taste of what the site looks like.

I'm also preparing for the Everest Build in Nepal with Habitat for Humanity International. Our goal is to build 30 homes in one week. I am overwhelmed with excitement and am happy I'll be able to share this experience with my dear friend, Adelle Yeaton, a long time Habitat OC volunteer, and over 250 international volunteers. Adelle and I will be writing blog entries and sharing photos with you as we travel and build. In the meantime, feel free to share any tips you may have about visiting Nepal. Until next time…

The Chair Builds a Home

Hello again, friends! I apologize for missing a couple of entries; we've been busy this month. While I was away from the blog, I had time to think about what my next entry and I decided to write about our chair of board of directors, Brett Mansfield.

Brett has been a board member since 2006 and became board chair in 2009. In that time, he's been an active participant in the organization and has joined us at our construction sites. In fact, he recently stopped by the Fullerton site. So Brett, what's going on in Fullerton?


Interested in volunteering? Join us! I also invite you to get to know our Board of Directors. Until next time...

Small Group, Big Heart

On a sunny afternoon, a team of twenty First American Financial Corporation and CoreLogic employees spent a day building in Fullerton as part of their national day of service.

The team grabbed their tools and began work on five homes, the last group of homes to be built in this development.

One of the future homeowners, Mr. Chavez, was on site and talked to the volunteers about the development. "Habitat came to this neighborhood and started building beautiful homes," said Mr. Chavez. "You can see how the street has changed for good."

Andrea Amrein (in blue), Title Coordinator, First American Financial Corporation, took a break from resolving title issues at the office to work on siding. "I live down the street and it feels good to give back to the community. I can pass by and say I helped build this."

As always, we had one of our AmeriCorps on site to help guide the volunteers. Dan Hines, originally from Pennsylvania, was on site and worked alongside the volunteers. "This is a great group of volunteers," said Dan. "They were full of energy and enthusiasm."

Thank you to the volunteers who came out to build. I invite all of you to trade in your briefcase for a hammer this summer. You won't regret it.