The Luis House Neighborhood Project

We had the pleasure of meeting Luis Ortiz when his mother purchased their home from Habitat for Humanity Orange County in 2006. After Luis moved into his new home, he was inspired to raise money to help build more Habitat homes so that "other kids have a house like mine."

Luis started to raise funds by hosting garage sales, where he sold his outgrown toys. He then created a house-shaped bank and painted it. Everyday, he would add some coins to the bank and on December 16 of each year (the day he moved into his home) he would bring his proceeds to the Habitat for Humanity of Orange County office to help build another affordable home. Luis' dream established the Luis House Neighborhood project.

Furthering his dream, Luis Houses (a house-shaped bank) are available for purchase. Children can buy the house/bank material, build and decorate them. They can use any creative method they choose to collect funds and fill their house/bank with funds to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is partnering with Pretend City Children's Museum, a nonprofit educational organization, under the theme of "Constructing Kindness" to help raise money to build affordable homes for children and families, while also building the Pretend City community. Museum visitors will have an opportunity to purchase Luis Houses for a small donation as part of the Luis House Neighborhood project.

Children who purchase a Luis House will be invited to a special event held at Pretend City on December 14, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. At this event, children will bring the money they've collected and all proceeds will be split between Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and Pretend City Children's Museum.

To order your Luis House Bank or for more information on the event, please contact Aimee@habitatoc.org.

Alabama meets the Habitat OC AmeriCorps

Our 9 AmeriCorps members are currently attending the third annual National Service Leadership Conference in Talladega, Alabama. The Leadership conference convenes almost 500 AmeriCorps National and VISTA members serving with Habitat for Humanity in more than 150 communities across the United States. Members are participating in training, service reflections and networking activities to further develop their leadership, knowledge and connectedness, which will equip them to more powerfully affect the community of Orange County.

This year’s theme, "Building Through Service," highlights the tireless efforts of Habitat AmeriCorps members to help build and strengthens communities throughout the U.S. They are building hope, communities, homes, families, capacity, strong volunteers – through their service, the possibilities for building are as diverse as the needs Habitat strives to meet and the people we partner with. AmeriCorps members also receive as much as they give, and the training and experience they receive through Habitat OC and Habitat International are helping to build strong leaders and, in turn, build our future.

So what are the AmeriCorps doing…
Members are attending core classes on Capacity Building, Conflict Resolution, Disaster Response and Recovery, Leadership Compass, Member Relations / HR Opportunities and Poverty Housing.

There are also elective classes in Advocacy, Community Mapping, Green Building, Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, Social Media and a variety of Team Building exercises.

We can't wait to hear about their trip.

National Make a Difference Day

October 23, 2010 marked the 20th anniversary of National Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. Held annually the fourth Saturday of October, Make A Difference Day is an all-encompassing national day of service dedicated to helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.

To honor this day, Habitat OC welcomed almost 80 volunteers to the Fullerton construction site from Beckman Coulter. Broken up into two shifts, the volunteers joined three families from the San Juan Capistrano site and three families from the Fullerton site. The volunteers dug trenches, painted and cleaned up the site. It was truly a remarkable day.

I invite everyone to take action in their own community and volunteer. View video of the volunteers and families building together. http://bit.ly/9Wvats

We must become the change we want to see.
- Mahatma Gandhi

S.E.

The People's Fleet

I'm happy to announce that Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is partnering with The People’s Fleet™ project highlighting community-minded young adults involved with Habitat OC. Recently launched, The People’s Fleet™ is using a nation-wide social media platform to increase awareness of a generation inspired to transform lives and communities. The project is also awarding short-term use of new, economical vehicles, enabling young people to achieve their goals more easily.

Aimee Sibet, 25, Volunteer Coordinator, serves as Habitat OC’s main featured personality on The People’s Fleet™ website and social media sites. Aimee was an AmeriCorps volunteer with Habitat OC for a year before her recent hire. Her strong values and life-long dedication to helping others is truly inspirational. Aimee, a graduate of Seattle Pacific University, decided to work with Habitat OC because she believes that living in a home owned by a family is extremely important for children. She cites her parents as excellent role models in assuring that she and her siblings had a simple, decent home to live in during their school years.

Being chosen for The People’s Fleet is not only exciting, it’s perfect timing. This October is one of our busiest months. The car is being used by the young people working in Habitat OC’s volunteer coordination department as we continue to build, search for families and work with volunteers. We’re very pleased!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube!

S.E.

My Mount Everest

The Everest Build has come to an end an everyone is on their way home. I would like to thank Adelle, Anne, Jaymie and Richard for joining me on this magnificent trip. Building a bamboo home in 95 degree weather with 90% humidity was not the easiest thing to do, but it was the most rewarding. This was a great experience and I can now say I captured my Mount Everest. Thank you to all of you for following me during this trip. I'm now on my way to go trekking with my friend Adelle. Namaste.

S.E.

Lunch with the President of Nepal

There was a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air on the last day of Habitat for Humanity Nepal’s Everest Build in Pokhara, about 200 km. west of the capital Kathmandu. More than 460 volunteers helped to build 40 bamboo houses over six days.

While international volunteers were painting the bamboo wall panels in colors similar to Habitat’s blue and green, the local community was getting ready to greet Nepal’s President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav on his first visit to Pokhara.

In the afternoon, the President arrived in a helicopter near Begnas Lake, about 20-minutes’ ride by bus from the build site. Several hundreds of Habitat volunteers, home partner representatives, the Lekhnath municipal government and the local community were present at the closing ceremony.

In his speech, Dr. Ram welcomed international volunteers and thanked them for their contribution. He unveiled a cement marker in the community, signifying the partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Lekhnath municipality. He also graced a house dedication.

At the start of the dedication, Habitat home partner Man Bahadur Sunar and his wife Chija Maya lit a lamp for blessings. Chija also applied the tikka, a small red dot, on each volunteer’s forehead as she draped sashes over their necks and presented them with sprigs of flowers.

House leader Brendon Silcock said to his team: “You guys are fantastic and fun. It’s a privilege to work with you.” He then presented the home partner with a drawing done by a fourth grade student in the United States.

Source: Habitat for Humanity

The Beat Goes On at the Everest Build

Hi All! Evertyhing is going well. Weather is quite warm but we have learned to trim bamboo and we can weave the stuff as well. Great team with several New Zealanders on our team. Great workers. Richard is in heaven and seems to be enjoying every minute. Lots of opportunities for adaptation. Today is the last full day of building so we are elbow deep in slurry and mud (see photo of Anne working hard.) We are hoping to get a primer coat on the outside today. It's hard to describe the beauty of this place. Pictures don't do it justice.

As the Everest Build comes to an end, we are preparing to participate in a celebration in a nearby park that includes a visit from the President of Nepal (very big deal since until recently, Nepal had a king). We were told that the President has never been to western Nepal region before. It should be a great event.

More to come.

S.E.

Second Day of the Everest Build

Any of you who have ever worked with Richard on the construction site know he is a great construction supervisor, but learning to build with bamboo certainly has its challenges. After all, if we are going to weave every wall in the 18' by 18' home we had to have pliable bamboo, thin enough to weave. Wow, what an adventure. Even Richard was out there with a sickle trimming bamboo as we were all working to get the entire house woven by the end of the day so they could apply the corrugated aluminum roof. With the hot temperature and high humidity, we had our work cut out for us.

Although we have a few high areas to finish tomorrow, we managed to get the walls almost completely woven – and lived to tell about.

Today was World Habitat Day so we all had work shirts from our respective affiliates and had flags hung near each home. Our house had the New Zealand and USA flag - quite a colorful day!

Lunch again on the top of our mountain and back down the hill around 4:30 PM – a little more tired today. I'm sure every muscle in my body will be talking to me when I wake up tomorrow morning :)

S.E.

First Day of the Everest Build

Up at 6:00 AM and on the buses by 7:15! Our team, Adelle Yeaton, Anne Thorward, Jaymie Fisher and I, were ready to begin learning how to build a bamboo house in beautiful Pokhara. Our house leader, Richard Martinez, had arrived before so he had been to the site and was ready to lead us!

After a 45 minute bus ride – an adventure in itself – we were asked to exit the bus, walk across the bridge and then rejoin the bus on the other side. Children greeted us with Namaste, flowers and more scarves. It was extremely touching and brought all of us to tears.

Once back on the bus, we traveled up the winding road to our destination. Hopped out and began hiking farther up the mountain. Our house is #27 and is clustered with #28 and #29. The view is breathtaking! It looks out over Phewa-Tal Lake, the green mountains and the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas. Hopefully the pictures will help to convey the beauty of this country!

The foundation and the bamboo framing had already been done so our job was to measure and cut smaller bamboo sticks to be added to the frame in preparation for our weaving of the walls. Wow, we had lots to do and the weather, which is hot and humid, didn't help. Drinking water and trying to stay hydrated was a task - lots of watching out for each other to make sure no one was overcome by the elements.

Lunch was served under a beautiful tent on the side of the mountain. Going back to work after our wonderful lunch was a shock to the system as most of us would have loved a little nap.

We finished around 4:30 PM, trekked back down the mountain to our waiting bus and the E-ticket ride back to the hotel. Showers and a jump in the pool were certainly high on the "To Do" list. Dinner was at the hotel and then most of us headed for bed.

S.E.

Pokhara

What an adventure to travel from our hotel in Kathmandu to the airport. Once there, getting our tickets and passing through security took some time. But once we were in the terminal, we were excited to begin our adventure at the Everest Build.

Once we arrived in Pokhara, we were separated from our luggage, which went off to our respective hotels while we were transported to the Mountain Museum and a Habitat Welcome. Children greeted us with Namaste (welcome, hello) flowers and scarves commemorating the Everest Build. Mountain Museum was great, kids were wonderful and dinner (served in the middle of an open field) was lovely. We were entertained by children from a partnering organization - SOS Children Villages - who entertained us with beautiful folk dances from regions of Nepal. Time to go back to our hotel and get some rest.

Mount Everest

Habitat for Humanity Nepal representatives took us into the city of Kathmandu. It was a wild ride into the city as there are no lanes to speak of, and if they did exist, no one pays any attention to them. Whether it's a bus, van, truck, small tractor, little truck, motor scooter, bicycle or pedestrian, they all seem to share the road with give and take. It made the 405 look like a Sunday drive!!

Adelle and I took the first three days in Nepal to explore the ancient Buddhist and Hindu shrines in the Kathmandu Valley. There were markets and getting to see some of the handicrafts made by local artists was very interesting. The highlight of three days was definitely our 6:45 AM (local time) flight around Mount Everest! It was breathtaking and we were able to take photos in the cockpit. The stewardess opened the door to the cockpit and invited each of us (18) to come forward one at a time for a panoramic scene of the range. I think we were both humbled by the majesty of the Himalayan Mountains and were blessed to have this chance to see Mt. Everest - as we both know we will never climb it.

Once back at our hotel, we met up with Richard Martinez, Jaymie Fisher and Anne Thorward for a pleasant lunch. Then Richard, our house leader, flew on to Pokhara to prep for the build. We will be flying out tomorrow morning - so more to come...

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.

Orange County is Going Green!

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is working hard to Go Green as we fulfill our mission of changing lives and changing communities in Orange County. We continue to implement more and more green construction methods on our homebuilding sites. And our Habitat ReStores and DeConstruct Services offer local residents unique opportunities to preserve our environment by recycling while they help the families we serve.

Take part in ensuring a beautiful environment for future generations of Orange County residents. Don’t know where to start? Let Habitat for Humanity of Orange County help you begin your GO GREEN journey. Did you know that changing your impact on the environment from negative to positive can all start within your own home or business?

When you remodel don’t be in the red, instead GO GREEN!
It can cost a pretty penny to have old items removed from your home or business during a remodel or demolish. Instead of having your items sit in a landfill forever allow Habitat’s DeConstruct Services come prior to your remodel or demolition and remove qualified items. Qualified items DeConstruct Services will pick up are: appliances, kitchen cabinets, exterior and interior lights. The removed items will then be taken to a local Habitat Restore, in Santa Ana or Garden Grove, where your trash will become someone else’s treasure! By recycling your items you not only are allowing someone else to benefit from your previous items but also contributing to building affordable housing for hard working families.

Make the Greener choice!
Habitat’s ReStore Discount Home Improvement Centers in Orange County offer you the greener choice when shopping for replacement appliances and home furnishings. All ReStores are open to the public and allow customers to shop for deeply discounted appliances and home furnishings. The Habitat ReStores recycle by selling donated items which are gently used to new customers. Orange County has ReStore locations in both Santa Ana and Garden Grove with a total combined 280,000 square foot shopping space. Proceeds from the Habitat ReStore’s are used to build affordable homes for hard working families who are seeking home ownership.

Who knew that being Green could be so easy when teaming up with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County DeConstruct Services? This winning combination benefits YOU, future homeowners, and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

Another Award Winning Partnership

I have an exciting piece of news to share with you. We’re delighted to announce that KTGY Group, Inc. has won a Gold Nugget award for the design of our Yorba Linda homes. The Gold Nugget Building Industry Community Spirit Awards "Grand Award" was presented to KTGY Group, Inc. at the 47th Annual PCBC® (Pacific Coast Builders Conference) for three homes completed in Yorba Linda. Habitat for Humanity of Orange County was the developer on this group of homes.

KTGY Group, Inc. donated its architectural services as well as assisted in the construction of these craftsman-style homes in Yorba Linda. Simplicity in framing facilitated construction by a volunteer workforce and the three-home development was completed in 7.5 months from framing to dedication.

Our partnership with KTGY Group, Inc. is one of four partnerships that have resulted in Gold Nugget awards! Our partnerships with other design professionals have resulted in Gold Nugget awards for our developments in Rancho Santa Margarita, Santa Ana and Fullerton. We are delighted to be able to continue to partner with incredibly talented design professionals who help build award-winning developments that help eliminate substandard housing.

Thank you to KTGY Group, Inc., and to all of you who have helped build these homes. We couldn’t have done it without you!

A Call to Action - The SAFE Act

For the past couple of months we've been faced with the possibility that the SAFE Act could effectively halt Habitat's progress in the mission of bringing safe, decent affordable housing to families in California. So what is the SAFE Act?

Background
In 2008, the SAFE Act was passed as a part of the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Under the SAFE Act, each state must set minimum standards for licensing mortgage loan originators. The SAFE Act was designed to affect for-profit loan originators and therefore is very multifaceted, with provisions for fingerprinting, background checks, outside training and coursework, surety bond requirements, and registration in a nationwide mortgage registry system. The multiple requirements under the SAFE Act will be extremely difficult for many small to mid-size Habitat affiliates and other significant non-profits to meet. Habitat affiliates will likely have difficulty in continuing their process of issuing mortgages if there is not more clarification under the SAFE Act.

Our Response
Habitat affiliates in California have requested an exemption through an interpretive opinion to the California State Department of Corporations. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) has proposed a legislative fix (HR 4400) to clarify that states have the authority to grant exemptions for specific nonprofit groups who meet certain requirements – specifically, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporations who:
• make mortgage loans to promote homeownership for poor to low-income, disabled or other disadvantaged individuals or families;
• offer mortgage loans at interest rates that are lower than the bank prime loan rate, or that are zero-interest loans or loans with interest rates significantly below the interest rates generally available in the market; and
• are otherwise not primarily in the business of soliciting or brokering mortgage loans.

Today I am here to thank all of you who supported our SAFE Act exemption efforts. For the time being, Habitat for Humanity has been exempt and your work to put pressure and keep this issue at the forefront paid off. This was truly an example of collaborative teamwork.

For more information on the SAFE Act, please visit http://ow.ly/1XJTc.

Sheathing: How to Do It Yourself

While working on a construction site you often learn construction tips. At our Fullerton construction site they recently worked on sheathing and some of our volunteers and families got a quick lesson. I hope you have your pen and paper ready because sheathing is your first D-I-Y on my blog.

Most new walls need sheathing to strengthen them, to act as a nailing base for siding, and/or to boost insulation. Existing walls usually do not require sheathing unless you are stripping off the old siding and applying a different type that calls for sheathing.

So how do you do it? Sheathing involves taking 8 foot boards made of structural grade wood (otherwise called “OSB” or Oriented Strand Board) and nailing the boards onto the studs of a freshly-framed house. The OSB is the layer that will provide the foundation for the wall; it’s what underneath the drywall and the waterproof wrapping. Sheathing is also meant to provide strength and structure to the walls of a house to help resist high winds and earthquake vibrations.

The volunteers in Fullerton nailed ‘fire blocks’ in between the studs. For your first D-Y-K (did you know) fire blocks are pieces of wood or foam used between studs to help block fire from spreading through a house. Before fire blocks were required, you could drop something from a hole in an attic wall all the way to the basement. If a fire starts, the channels made by studs act like huge chimneys that allow fire to travel from one floor to all of the others. The fire blocks help block the path of the fire before it can spread. They need to be installed between all of the studs in your home. Longer versions must be installed between each level and in front of the gaps where the flooring is so fire can't travel horizontally across the floor.

By the end of the day the volunteers and families learned how to make fire blocks and use sheathing for the first time. Do you have any questions on this DIY project or have any tips? Please comment and get the conversation started. Thanks!!!

Memorial Day Weekend: A Time to Honor Those Who Lost Their Lives

Hi friends. We at Habitat for Humanity of Orange County want to take a moment to honor all members of the United States Armed Forces who were killed in war, and thank all of those who have fought for our Country.

In the past couple of years, we have worked with different veteran groups and have seen the different issues veterans face - the need for housing being one of them. Five years ago we decided to become the first Habitat affiliate to market homes to military and veteran families, combat-wounded veterans and their families, and surviving families of deceased veterans. The 27-home development is part of the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families pilot program and is located in the beautiful city of San Juan Capistrano.

Nine homes have already been sold to qualified, hardworking families and we are currently in the last phase of construction. The last 18 homes will soon be completed and celebrated by having a dedication ceremony in September 2010.

I've made it my goal to help build more homes for veterans, so we're exploring with other Habitat affiliates in the U.S. on a national plan to build more affordable homes for veterans. If we're successful, more homes like this will be built right here in Orange County.

Thank you to our troops and to all of you that have helped build homes for local families. Please continue to help in any way you can so that together we can offer a warm "welcome home" to our veterans.