From Nicaragua to Sacramento to D.C.

L-R Board member Ken and Site Supervisor
Casey joined me in Nicaragua.

The Global Village trip to Nicaragua was amazing. There were three homes completed by the Habitat O.C. and Habitat L.A. affiliates in a week. It was a great bonding experience and I was ready to come back home and travel to Sacramento for the Second Annual Habitat California Advocacy Day.

L-R Board members Stan, David, and Don joined
me on my trip to Sacramento.

More than half of the Habitat for Humanity affiliates in California gathered in Sacramento to meet with legislators to talk about affordable housing and the need for funding. As a group, we met with over 90 legislators and were able to spread the Habitat message. I was lucky enough to be joined by four of our board members during this trip who truly believe in the mission. 

Board member Charles also
joined me in Sacramento.

Today I am on my way to Washington D.C. for Habitat on the Hill 2013 where Habitat affiliates from throughout the country will get a chance to get in front of a new Congress in Washington, advocate for the issues important to Habitat,  and then bring that advocacy knowledge to the field. I am excited to continue spreading the Habitat mission to our country's leaders. Wish me luck!

-Sharon

Nicaragua Welcomes Habitat OC Again

Erin Rank and I joined forces in Nicaragua.

In January 2012, a group from Habitat O.C. traveled to Nicaragua for a Global Village trip. This week, I took another group from Habitat OC to Nicaragua. This time, we were joined by a group from Habitat Los Angeles.

Erin Rank, the President/CEO of Habitat Los Angeles, brought a team from her affiliate and it has definitely been a great bonding experience as we work alongside during this Global Village trip.

 

Work has just begun and we are very confident that we will finish all of the work by the end of the week. The Habitat OC team has been busy working on one home and many of the new visitors to Nicaragua are having fun learning how to build a Habitat for Humanity home in Nicaragua, including our construction site supervisor Casey. It has proven to be a learning experience. 

We are all truly inspired to be able to help a family attain their dream of becoming homeowners. 

This is the Habitat O.C. & Habitat L.A. team.

Stay tuned to see the end result!


-Sharon

Habitat OC leaves their mark

Charles Antis and his son Erek traveled
 from Orange County to help build in
Mongolia.

For a week, we have all been building Habitat homes in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia alongside volunteers from all over the world. Besides meeting other volunteers, we also got to work with the future homeowners and that was very special.

I was able to talk to one of the families and I learned that most families are used to being nomadic. This provides a challenge for the Habitat homeowners since they have to get used to living in one location. With that in mind, the local Habitat affiliate makes sure they create an area that is fruitful for the families.


Charles and Ally gave the family the
"key" to their home. You can see me in
the background.

Besides getting to learn about the local culture, I was able to learn from the volunteers that traveled with me on this trip. Charles Antis, Habitat OC Board Member, came on this trip with his son Erek and his daughter Ally. Not only did they give up time from their summer vacation to build homes in Mongolia, but they also did a fundraiser to bring along school materials for the children in this community. It was truly an inspirational thing to see.

Dedication day came and we were all excited to witness the families see their completed homes. All of the families were so happy and were impressed we built these homes in a week. 

After a week, the "Blue Sky Build" in Mongolia has come to an end and we are all on our way home. We all leave Mongolia with a joyous heart, full of great memories, and some of us with aching muscles :) If you would like to see more photos from the trip, visit the Habitat Mongolia page.

The "Blue Sky Build" Has Begun

From June 30 to July 16, 350 volunteers from around the world will help build homes for the people of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as part of the "Blue Sky Build." Eight of those volunteers are from Orange County.

Our group has been anxiously awaiting the day we begin building Habitat for Humanity homes and that day came. Yesterday morning we gathered to make our way to the site and you can sense the excitement from the group. We were ready to get our hands dirty and begin working.

There's so much more to share, but I have to make my way to the site again. It's Tuesday here and it's 8:07 a.m., which means it's time to build. I will share more in the next post.

Global Village Trip to Mongolia

Last week we left Orange County and traveled many hours to Mongolia. Upon arrival we got a crash course on how to speak Mongolian and how to maneuver through the traffic. Traffic lights and cross walks are merely a suggestion as traffic never really stops.

We traveled to the Gobi Desert for miles on off roads since there aren't any roads. We stayed in gers (felt-lined tents) for two nights, which was quite an amazing experience as the wind howls and the rain comes down. Horses were our mode of transportation once we arrived to our camp site. We rode the horses into the mountains and the Gobi Glacier.

We have not forgotten why we traveled miles away to Mongolia. We're here on a mission. We're here to build Habitat for Humanity homes and offer families the stability that comes from owning a home. Things are definitely different here and I will explain more on that in another post.

Sincerely,
Sharon
Habitat OC CEO

Starting the year giving back

This month I traveled to the beautiful city of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua for Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip. Adelle Yeaton, a long time Habitat OC supporter, and Richard Martinez, Habitat OC site supervisor, joined me on this trip as we kicked off the New Year helping and empowering two families to achieve their dreams.

We built two homes in five days with the help of a great team of overachievers during 16hr work days.

The structures of the homes were made up of 1,200 bricks that weighed 32 lbs. each. We unloaded and loaded them and moved them to the structure location, and used different tools like a machete to cut and carve the bricks.

Then we decided to split our team in half and work on two home additions.

The dedication ceremony was touching and inspiring and since Nicaraguans love to celebrate, it was no surprise to end it with games, a piñata, and the joy and laughter of families and friends.

But the work is not done yet. They are currently planning the installation of a water system for fresh, clean water to homes and are testing a new toilet system that is much healthier than what they have now. Our team is motivated to go back and help them with the water project installation.

Towards the end of our week we were able to visit the Masaya Market, a volcano, and take a boat trip around Lake Managua Island.

I continue to be impressed with what Habitat is doing around the world and hope I can continue to support them. I'm looking forward to continuing to help other Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout the world.

Back home from Cambodia

I have returned from my Global Village trip to Cambodia and am full of joy. On Friday, we finished with the build and ended the day with a home dedication. Home dedications are always one of the most amazing Habitat for Humanity events. At a home dedication you get to witness the family receiving the key to their home and the excitement it brings them to become homeowners. It is truly an incredible thing to see.

The home Adelle and I helped build was for a family of four: mom, dad, and two daughters. Both parents are orphans, so having a home built for them is a dream come true. I was lucky enough to see the family walk into their completed home for the first time and it was incredible. The little girls were excited to no longer have to live on a dumpsite. Can you imagine having to live on a dumpsite? I'm happy Habitat for Humanity was able to help them move off the dumpsite and is giving all of the families the tools to succeed in their new homes. If you would like to learn more about my trip, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sharon
Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
ExecutiveDirector@HabitatOC.org

Building a garden and courtyard in Cambodia

Besides helping build 22 homes in Cambodia, Adelle and I are helping construct a garden and courtyard around the community center. We're using the same bricks that the homes are made of and it is looking quite lovely.

The bricks are made primarily from the local soil mixed with a little cement and sand. Then, it's all mixed in a large rotary miner usually used to mix clay. Once mixed, it's poured into molds, dried, released from the mold and cured for 16 days.

Time is flying and we can't believe how much work is being done. Stay tuned to see the end result!

-Sharon

Habitat OC meets Cambodia

Adelle Yeaton (a Habitat OC supporter) and I have traveled from Orange County, California to Cambodia to build 22 Habitat homes. We arrived in Cambodia on Sunday and were greeted by the Habitat Cambodia team. Once we got settled at the Hotel Cambodiana, we went for a walk along the promenade which parallels the Mekong River (which we can see from out hotel window.) Phnom Pehn is such an interesting city – it looks very European with wide boulevards and traffic circles. Grand palaces and incredible poverty sit side by side.

Today we started building 22 homes for families who used to live on a huge dumpsite. There have been significant changes each family has had to undertake since part of the process for becoming a Habitat homeowner in this program required the families to move from the dump site to a cleaner, safer location. This was especially difficult for the families since their former way of making a living was scavenging. Due to the change in location, the families were taught new skills: raising crops and animals. This is an ongoing transition as they are not only changing where they live but how they live. While the homes are built, the families have been building their new skills necessary to successful raise crops and animals and living in temporary facilities.

Before we began building today, we took a tour of the dumpsite and found the sheer scope of it hard to comprehend. There are over a thousand families living as scavengers in the dump area. Children run barefoot and many are naked as they climb over mounds of trash. Women spend the day separating plastic bags which are gathered, bagged and shipped to China where they are recycled. We’re happy to be in Cambodia helping build the homes of 22 families that will no longer have to call the dumpsite home. We hope to be able to do the same for all of the families that are still living there.

Stay tuned to keep reading about our time in Cambodia!

Sharon
Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County

Royal Newlyweds Applaud Habitat for Humanity's Plan to Reach out to Veterans

On Sunday, July 10th, 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, met with two senior leaders from Habitat for Humanity during their visit to the Service Nation: Mission Serve Veterans Job Fair held at Sony Pictures Studios. The Habitat for Humanity representatives shared with the Royal Highnesses Habitat's plan to actively engage veterans. The Royal Couple was delighted when presented with the personalized hard hats that created specifically for a future King and Queen.

The event dubbed, "Hiring Our Heroes" invited a number of local veterans who were seeking employment to visit with employers with the hope of finding a good fit. More than 2,000 veterans, military spouses, servicemembers and employers turned out to exchange resumes, set up interviews, and assemble care packages for children whose parents are about to deploy overseas to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County initiated the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families™ program in 2007. The pilot program has been completed in beautiful San Juan Capistrano where active military, veterans, disabled vets, and local families are thriving in their new community. This successful program is slated for three more Orange County cities: Cypress, Santa Ana and La Habra.

This cause is close to Prince William's heart. The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry is the Princes' primary charitable vehicle and one of its core aims is to raise awareness and support for the servicemembers who put their lives on the line for their countries. With more than one million veterans facing homelessness due to poverty, lack of support and dismal living conditions, Habitat for Humanity is reaching out nationally to meet the changing needs of U.S. military veterans and their communities.

To learn more about our Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families™, please contact us. Tweet us @HabitatOC or Facebook us @HabitatOC to share your ideas on how we can continue to serve the military community. If you would like to learn more about Habitat OC's services and programs, please visit http://habitatoc.org/.

*Information shared by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and with it comes spring cleaning. The March issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, suggests getting rid of everything that is weighing down your life and bringing in fresh exciting things to replace them.

Do you have an older car, truck, van, trailer, RV or boat taking up valuable space in your yard? Donate it to our Cars for Homes program. Your donation will support Habitat for Humanity’s local and global mission of eliminating poverty housing and save you the time and energy of finding a buyer. By donating a car to our vehicle donation program, you can help Habitat for Humanity of Orange County build houses in partnership with families in need of a hand up, not a hand out.

It is quick and easy to donate cars, trucks, boats, RV’s, motorcycles, construction equipment and other vehicles-running or not! Plus, you may be eligible for a tax deduction. (Consult your tax advisor or the IRS for details.)

To donate a car, truck, boat or RV to Cars for Homes™ - Habitat’s official car donation program, call (877) 277-4344 toll free or visit http://www.carsforhomes.org/ and let us take care of the rest. It’s a convenient way to support Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and create more space in your driveway!

Your "problem" can become part of the solution!

Used Cars. New Homes. New beginnings.

Update on Our Campaign to Save Affordable Housing

Unfortunately, the Budget Conference Committee has voted to eliminate $1 billion in annual funding for affordable housing that assists California Habitat affiliates in procuring land for low-income homeownership housing. All is not lost.

Senator DeSaulnier has proposed an amendment that balances California’s budget and protects affordable housing as a core service. Now is the time to ask Governor Brown and your legislators to include this proposal in the final budget. Read our full proposal.

How can you help? Please contact Governor Brown and your legislators today.

Call Governor Brown's office (Here’s a script to help).
State Capitol office: 916.445.2841 -- if line is busy, try the following field offices
Los Angeles field office: 213.897.0322
San Francisco field office: 415.703.2218

Send a message to the Governor directly: Governor Brown’s contact page.

Call your legislators (Here’s a script to help).
Visit this website to look up your legislators.

Last, there is still time to sign our petition.

Thank you for helping save affordable housing in California!

Help us continue building in Orange County

Governor Brown has proposed eliminating all Redevelopment Agencies in the State of California. If this proposal succeeds, our ability to build homes in Orange County will be severely impacted. Since opening our doors in 1988, our ability to build homes in Orange County has been based upon our partnerships with Redevelopment Agencies. In fact, 96% of the homes we have built in Orange County have been based upon our partnership with Redevelopment Agencies. If you believe as we do that the funding for affordable housing provided by Redevelopment Agencies should be preserved, please act today.

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.

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.

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...