From heartbreak to happiness!

Strong foundations to empower families in Orange County
Upper le: e last five homes in the 11-home
Fullerton Revitalization Development were dedicated
in January.
Photographer: Lauri Reveles
Le: Westminster homeowner Rosa Martinez (right)
served as family partner to the Mendiola family, and
was on hand to welcome them to their new home in
Fullerton.
Photographer: Robert Rooks
What started in 2007, as an
ambitious partnership with the City
of Fullerton, dozens of sponsors –
including rivent Financial for
Lutherans, family partners, hundreds
of volunteers, and countless other
supporters, is now a dream come
true for these families.
BE INSPIRED
Construction Corner .............3
Five new Fullerton homes –
a story in every picture....4-5
Family News:
The Secret Library.................6
Global Village trip to
Botswana..................................7
Being green just takes
a little common sense...........8
From heartbreak to happiness!
Final five homes dedicated in Fullerton
BY C INDY T ULLUES
TA L K T O U S !
Please let us know how we
can make Cornerstone –
or any part of the Orange County
Habitat affiliate – better.
Please send your comments to
public.relations@habitatoc.org.
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County volunteers wrapped up construction of the final
five homes in Fullerton, and celebrated with
the new homeowners at a much anticipated
dedication ceremony on January 8, 2011. e
ceremony honored and welcomed the Islas,
Chavez, Larson, Mendiola and Alvarez families
to the neighborhood that now consists of 11
Crasman style homes on West Valencia Drive.
Most of these families have
suffered heartbreaking hardships
and have struggled for a place to
call home. Some temporarily lived
in their cars, while others rented a
single room for a family of four.
Moving into this beautiful new
Habitat community signals a
momentous change in their lives –
a change that will provide the opportunity for the families to grow
stronger, and a change that will
spark a passion for success in their
lives and in their children’s lives.
Welcome home to these wonderful new homeowners!
“ank you to the City of Fullerton for the opportunity to
live here. I think my neighbors will be my new family.”
DAVID M ENDIOLA ,
1
www.habitatoc.org
C O R N E R S T O N E | w w w. h a b i t a t o c . o r g
NEW
F ULLERTON
HOMEOWNER
Habitat for Humanity
of Orange County
“Home isn’t just the structure…it is the family who lives in that home.”
Transforming lives and
communities by helping families
in need build and purchase
or renovate their own homes.
R OBERT M EAUX , T HRIVENT F INANCIAL
FOR
LUTHERANS & H F HOC
BOARD MEMBER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
S HARON E LLIS
(714) 434-6200
Sharon@habitatoc.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
CHAIR
M ARK M ATHEWS
Toshiba America Business Solutions
VICE CHAIR
A MESSAGE FROM SHARON…
F. S COTT J ACKSON
Jackson | DeMarco | Tidus |
Peckenpaugh
As we go to press with this newsletter, we are facing some unique challenges.
While the state of California grapples with its budget for the coming year, they
are looking at eliminating redevelopment agencies, and with them the only
stream of state funding for affordable housing. Since 96% of the homes we have
built in Orange County have been built on land funded by local redevelopment
agencies, this could have a disastrous impact on the future of our mission.
SECRETARY
M ARK H OOVER
First American Title
BOARD MEMBERS
D AVE A LBERT
Stanley Black & Decker
D AVID B ANDUCCI
Harvard Card Systems, Inc.
F RANCISCA G ONZALEZ B AXA
Law office of
Francisca Gonzalez Baxa
E RIC B ELL
Bank of the West
K EVIN C LOYD
White Van Real Estate
Services, L.P.
R OBERT C ORBIN
Windes & McClaughry
K IM D ENGER
Community Volunteer
J EFF D ICKERSON
Holland Construction, Inc.
E DIE F EE
iNPOINT Advisors
G LENN G RAY
Sunwest Bank
J EFFREY J OY
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
B OB L E F EVER
Consultant
J IM L IGHT
C.J. Light Associates
B RETT M ANSFIELD
Union Bank
R OBERT M EAUX
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
D ON M OE
Community Volunteer
R OB M ONTGOMERY
HOM Real Estate Group
K ELLY M OORE
Moore Benefits, Inc.
H UGO N UÑO
First Foundation Bank
J OE P ERRING
Community Volunteer
M ARK R OGERS
TRG Land
R.B. W EDEL
Brown-Forman
BOARD EMERITUS
PAT K APP
JP Kapp, Civil Engineer
2
Sharon Ellis, Executive Director,
HfHOC, welcomed more than
150 guests and Habitat families to the
dedication ceremonies for the last five
homes in Fullerton.
Photographer: Robert Rooks
As we work with our elected officials to preserve this funding stream, we’re
looking at a wide variety of other options that will enable us to continue our
work and increase the number of families we serve. Our volunteers are currently
involved in rehabilitating foreclosed homes, modifying owner-occupied homes
to improve weatherization and accessibility, and providing maintenance assistance to homeowners who simply can not afford it. We are also one of the first
affiliates in the U.S. to be involved in Habitat International’s Neighborhood
Revitalization Initiative, which will include construction of new, energy-efficient homes, and rehabilitation of vacant and foreclosed properties.
We’re energized by this challenge and we are working hard to make sure
that it has a positive outcome. Please check our website www.habitatoc.org
regularly for the latest information. And please continue to keep the families
we serve – and those we seek to serve – in your prayers.
Blessings,
Sharon Ellis, Executive Director
(714) 434-6200 | Sharon@habitatoc.org
FAMILY NEWS
■ Families wanted for homes to be built in North Orange County.
Visit our website www.habitatoc.org for more information and
new-family orientation dates.
■ Family Partners needed for new families to be selected later
this year. For more information, please contact kim@habitatoc.org.
Photographer: Robert Rooks
HfHOC board member R. B. Wedel (le) joined the Islas family at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new home in Fullerton.
WHY IS HABITAT NEEDED IN ORANGE COUNTY?
$410,000
$1,476
$63,000
$46,450
median OC
home price
average monthly
OC apartment rent
income earned by an OC
Habitat family of four
(February 2011)
(4th Qtr 2010)
annual income required
to afford an OC starter home –
at $409,000 (4th Qtr 2010)
Sources: MDA DataQuick, RealFacts, California Realtors Association, HUD & The Orange County Register
(50% of median)
Construction Corner
Dreaming about a brighter future as they look out the
window of their new home in Fullerton.
O UR T RACK RECORD
Photographer: Robert Rooks
Currently serving 2,735 women, men and children.
NEW HOMES
■
Changing Communities
169 new homes serving 845 people in Orange County
- 167 for low and very-low income families*
Anaheim, Brea, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Placentia,
Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Westminster, & Yorba Linda.
*Includes: 5 Women Build-OC homes and 6 Thrivent Builds Homes
- 2 for moderate income families (workforce housing)
Yorba Linda.
■
14 Operation Home Delivery (OHD) homes serving 70 people built by OC donors & volunteers
Covington, LA; Beaumont & Dallas, TX.
■
9 OHD homes serving 45 people built by Texas Roadhouse/Camp Pendleton Marines/
Coca Cola/Grainger
New Orleans, LA.
■
Photographer: Jaymie Fisher
355 homes serving 1,775 people built by OC tithes: Romania, Northern Ireland, Mexico,
Bangladesh, Egypt and Nepal.
REHABILITATED HOMES
■
HfHOC’s AmeriCorps volunteers take a break from
sessions at the National Leadership Conference in
Alabama.
4 NSP2 Homes in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County
Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Anaheim, Rancho Santa Margarita.
Local clergy gather at faith leaders luncheon
“Helping people in need is at the very roots of Habitat,” said Jonathan Good, Director
of Global Faith Engagement, Habitat for Humanity International, in his address to
an audience of Orange County’s faith leaders on March 17. “More than building
houses, we seek to build communities.” Good encouraged clergy leaders to let Habitat
OC help their congregations serve “beyond the four walls of the church.” (le to
right: Robert Meaux, rivent Financial for Lutherans & HfHOC board member;
Mark Mathews, Toshiba America Business Solutions & HfHOC board chair;
Jonathan Good; Sharon Ellis, ED, HfHOC.)
Longtime volunteer Mary Kay Wise joined other guests at the faith leaders luncheon to sign
messages of hope on blocks of wood to be used in future Habitat homes.
C O R N E R S T O N E | w w w. h a b i t a t o c . o r g
AmeriCorps members give
from their hearts
ank you to our 2010-2011
team of nine AmeriCorps members
currently serving in our construction,
DeConstruct, volunteer and family
services departments, and in our
Garden Grove ReStore. ese dedicated volunteers are committing a
year of their lives to supplement our
affiliate’s small staff. Every day they
contribute their incredible energy
and talents to our work with local
families. We simply could not do
what we do without them! eir
term of service ends in July, so if you
haven’t met them yet, please stop by
and say hello.
For more information about
how you could become an
AmeriCorps, please email
americorpsvista@habitatoc.org.
3
Together We Finished the Fullert
Thank you to our
Fullerton Donors &
Design Team
Five homes dedicated
January 8, 2011
DONORS
Photographer: Clay Williams
Photographer: Clay Williams
F UNDING
L AND
FOR
City of Fullerton Redevelopment Agency
A MERICAN D REAM S PONSOR
$150,000
TO
$249,999
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
“Fullerton is delighted to have you here.
Congratulations!”
M AYOR P RO T EM D ON B ANKHEAD, F ULLERTON
“e many volunteers and employees of Habitat for Humanity
have not only restored our faith and hope in the future but
have also welcomed us in a loving and caring family where
we now have a chance to grow and prosper. ank you!”
L ORENA L ARSON , F ULLERTON
HOMEOWNER
C ARPENTER S PONSORS
$25,000
TO
$49,999
Photographer: Robert Rooks
Archstone Communities, Inc.
Change A Life Foundation
Hands of Christ Lutheran Partnership
S.L. Gimbel Foundation
Union Bank Foundation
A DDITIONAL S PONSORS
Beckman Coulter Foundation
Edwards Lifesciences, LLC
Fullerton Interfaith Ministerial Association
State Street Foundation
Photographer: Clay Williams
Photographer: Clay Williams
M AJOR I N -K IND D ONOR
Antis Roofing & Waterproofing, Inc.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
D ESIGN T EAM &
C ONSULTING S ERVICES
Architect: William Hezmalhalch Architects
Civil Engineer: Adams-Streeter Civil
Engineers
Energy Consultant: Heritage Energy Group,
Rudy Sains
Environmental Consultant: John Westermeier
- WQMP
Landscape Architect: EPT Design, Julie Larsen
Soils Engineer: Associated Soils Engineering
Structural Engineer: Structures Design Group,
Inc., Phil Soma
Surveyor: Stiles Surveying, Bus Stiles
L EGAL
Photographer: Lauri Reveles
Fullerton Neighborhood Revitalization
Development
Just completed: Five homes in Fullerton
BY THE NUMBERS
TOTAL number of homes built
11
Number of VOLUNTEERS
5,000+
COST to build
$2.7 Million
New HOMEOWNERS
11 Families
SERVICES
Jackson|DeMarco|Tidus|Peckenpaugh
Dedications:
■ 2 homes January 5, 2008 ■ 2 homes January 10, 2009
■ 2 homes January 23, 2010 ■ 5 homes January 8, 2011
4
Photographer: Dave Solt
Thank you to our
on Development! Thank You!!
Superstar donors!
ank you to our generous
donors of $5,000 and more
from October 1, 2010 through
December 31, 2010. Your gis
help build homes for families
in Orange County.
“We seek your blessing to rest upon and abide in these five
newly completed and stocked houses that we’ve come together
to dedicate. …ey are to be, and become, havens of rest and
renewal for the families who will dwell in them.”
DR. EDWIN LINBERG, ASSOCIATE PASTOR, FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, FULLERTON
$50,000 to $74,999
Department of Housing and
Community Development
Hyundai Motor America
$10,000 to $24,999
Photographer: Robert Rooks
Photographer: Robert Rooks
“I want to know what it is like to have
dinner as a family.”
J OSE I SLAS , F ULLERTON H OMEOWNER
Applied Medical Resources
Archstone Communities Inc.
Bank of America Charitable
Foundation, Inc.
Change A Life Foundation
Edwards Lifesciences
Ms. Diana B. Gondon
Joe MacPherson
Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mathews
Miracle Foundation Fund
Parker Aerospace Air & Fuel Division
S.L. Gimbel Foundation
Richard & Elizabeth Steel Fund
Toshiba America Business
Solutions, Inc.
$5,000 to $9,999
Employees Community Fund
of the Boeing Company
e Cashion Foundation
e Dhont Family Foundation
Fulop Roston Burns &
McKittrick
Mr. and Mrs. F. Scott Jackson
Kra Foods Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth F. Lickel
Mariners Church
Mr. Michael R. H. Post
Mrs. John Sewell
Photographer: Robert Rooks
Many thanks to the 1,846 donors
whose gis of $4,999 or below
during the fourth quarter of
2010 also helped Orange County
families. If you feel that your
name should have been included
in this list, please contact
amy@habitatoc.org.
West Valencia Drive, Fullerton
C O R N E R S T O N E | w w w. h a b i t a t o c . o r g
Photographer: Jeff Ellerbrock
5
Volunteer News
ink you need to swing a
hammer to be a Habitat
volunteer? Not true. Habitat
OC offers many different kinds
of volunteer opportunities
Family News
e Secret Library
BY DAVE S OLT
Meet Ron De Felice,
Volunteer Extraordinaire
Two little boys created a very special “Secret Library” in
their new San Juan Capistrano home.
As a Habitat family partner and San Juan Capistrano
resident, I am oen asked: “what kind of families did we
get in San Juan Capistrano?” I’d like to tell you a story
about one of the families who purchased an affordable
Habitat home in San Juan Capistrano.
e mom and dad who moved into house number 7
have three children. On the third night in their new home,
Dad’s return from work was greeted by his two boys acting in a very guilty manner.
Photographer: Dave Solt
BY L INDA
S HEPARD
AND J AYMIE
F ISHER
Photographer: John Carrillo
Nearly four years ago, Ron De
Felice offered his services as a
volunteer. Since then, he has helped
us streamline a complex escrow
process…and much, much more.
He asks pertinent questions to
ensure he understands what we are
trying to accomplish, provides us
with opinions and contacts his vast
resource of legal experts. He has
helped this affiliate blaze new trails
and strengthened the sustainability
of this organization even in a difficult
economy.
His legal counsel is par excellence
and we thank him for his years of
service and his invaluable contributions to making the dream of homeownership come true for families in
Orange County.
For more information about the
many ways you can volunteer, please
visit our website www.habitatoc.org.
6
“What’s up, boys?” Dad asked. “Oh, nothing,” was their reply. Aer some minutes of the boys still
having guilty looks on their faces, Dad sat them down at the kitchen table and said, “there is something going on here, and it is time for you two to come clean.” e boys shot glances back and forth
at each other, and then let it out: “We found a secret room here in the house nobody knew about.” “A
secret room?” said Dad doubtfully, and then continued. “Still, finding an unknown room would not
explain the guilty looks on your faces. Out with it.”
“Well, Dad,” they explained, “Since nobody else knew about it, we made it our own.” “You’d better
show me.” he said, and the boys led him into the living room. ere they opened the door to the
closet. It is under the stairs with a sloping ceiling, and a switch that turns on an overhead light. e
boys had brought down all of their children’s books and their two little kid-sized book shelves. At
the low end of the small room, they positioned a child-sized bean-bag chair. “It’s our Secret Library!”
they exclaimed. “We’ve been coming in and out all day sitting in here reading! Can we keep it?”
“Yes!” said the father. “If you want your own special place to read books, you’ve got it!”
is is the sort of family new affordable housing has brought into our community.
Congratulations to Habitat families:
■ Ken Wiggins (San Juan Capistrano) recently named ReStore Garden
Grove volunteer of the year.
■ Rosa Martinez (Westminster) and Catalina Gomez Garza (Fullerton)
for serving as family partners for three new families in Fullerton. It
was heartwarming to see these seasoned homeowners mentoring
brand new families through the sometimes scary process of buying
their first home.
e Wiggins family, San Juan
Capistrano homeowners
Photographer: Robert Rooks
C O R N E R S T O N E | w w w. h a b i t a t o c . o r g
We’re grateful that these families are choosing to stay involved long
after they finished their sweat equity.
Global Village News
By yourself or with a local team, Habitat’s Global
Village trips offer life-changing opportunities
Changing a Community in Botswana
Karen oms (second from le)
poses with her new friends in
Botswana.
Photo provided by Karen Thoms
ReStores Director Karen oms uses vacation time wisely in Botswana
BY C HRISTINE L E
How many of us have used our vacation time to help others in need? Our director of ReStores,
Karen oms, has. Instead of traveling to getaway hot spots, relaxing at home, or taking a break
from Habitat work, Karen chose to travel to Botswana to build homes. Her selflessness helped
change the lives of two families.
irty percent of the Botswana population lives below
the poverty line. Botswana is known to have one of the
world’s highest HIV/AIDS infection rates and it is a threat to
their economic security. is is a country in need of help
from Habitat for Humanity.
For 14 days in September, a Habitat team traveled to
Botswana to help. Karen joined 24 other volunteers from all
over the world to build two cinder block homes that made
the dream of homeownership a reality.
Building homes in Botswana was very different from
building homes in Orange County.
“ere was no running water, no cement truck. We had
to mix the cement on the ground to build the home,” Karen
explained.
Karen worked in uncomfortably hot weather, and did
without the resources to which we are accustomed. But she
will never regret her choice of how to use her vacation. She
gave of her time and talent, and today two families in
Botswana are grateful… and forever changed.
Top: Karen oms traveled to Botswana where she
joined a group of Habitat volunteers from all over the
world and spent two weeks building homes.
Above: Typical Habitat home in Botswana.
For more information about how you can join a Global
Village trip, please visit www.habitat.org or www.habitatoc.org.
Photos provided by Karen Thoms
Get Involved!
You can make a difference!
■ Attend Habitat Night new volunteer
orientations at 6:30 p.m. on the first
Tuesday of every month at St. Joseph
Center, LaVeta & Batavia, Orange.
■ Volunteer to build and/or work
on a committee or at the ReStore.
Contact volunteer@habitatoc.org.
■ Get your faith community involved.
Contact judi@habitatoc.org.
■ Join the WomenBuild-OC team
of volunteers. Fun, exciting, and no
experience necessary. For more information about WomenBuild, please
contact womenbuild@habitatoc.org.
■ Visit our website and keep up with
all the Habitat OC news or make a
donation to help build more affordable
homes for families in OC:
http://www.habitatoc.org
■ Shop at the ReStore and find great
bargains. Proceeds build more affordable homes in OC.
■ Take a “Building Dreams”
tour at our Santa Ana office. For
more information, please contact
Paula at 714-434-6200 Ext 206 or
paula@habitatoc.org.
Change lives today – leave a lasting legacy.
Charitable gi planning, in concert with your long-term financial and estate
planning, offers many benefits. Your gi of any size, pooled with others, can help
you leave a lasting legacy while you help Habitat for Humanity of Orange
County meet critical needs and change lives. To learn more, please contact
Heather McKenzie Densmore, CFRE, 714-434-6200 extension 232, or
heather@habitatoc.org
C O R N E R S T O N E | w w w. h a b i t a t o c . o r g
Donate your vehicle through
Habitat’s Cars for Homes
program.
Contact: Paula Neal Reza, CFRE,
(714) 434-6200 x206,
paula@habitatoc.org.
7
DISCOUNT HOME IMPROVEMENT CENTERS
| www.ReStoreOC.org | Donation Hotline: (714) 434-6202
Shop Donate Volunteer
Save at Habitat ReStores in Orange County Today
Appliances | Doors | Windows | Hardware | Lighting | Bath and Plumbing | Tile | Paint | Carpeting | Counter Tops | Kitchen Cabinets
Luis recycles for Habitat OC
Eleven-year old Luis Ortiz (Placentia) is still
raising money for a house funded entirely by
children. “We’re not just helping Habitat – we
are helping our environment,” said Luis as he
donated $70 he raised by recycling bottles, cans
and paper at his school. “I’m finding more ways
I can help.”
If you know a child who would like to help Luis
build a home in Orange County, please contact
aimee@habitatoc.org.
Photographer: Heather Rollins
Habitat ReStore News
Free Electronics Recycling
now available at ReStore
Garden Grove
A common-sense solution to
“being green”
Satisfied customer tells why she loves Habitat
OC’s DeConstruct Services
BY J EN F RENCH
“It’s about common sense. Why have these things end up in a
landfill,
when someone else can use them?” is is what Jan
DeConstruct Services removed Jan Shomaker’s
kitchen cabinets, furniture and art and sold
Shomaker, a local realtor, broker and Green Chairman of the
them through the OC ReStore.
Orange County Association of Realtors (OCAR), explained as her
Photographer: Jan Shomaker
reasoning behind using HfHOC’s DeConstruct Services. As an
avid believer in conservation-friendly living and the green movement, HfHOC’s DeConstruct fit
perfectly into the remodel of her home.
You can now recycle your electronic
items at the Garden Grove ReStore.
We’re open seven days a week to accept
your computers, monitors, printers,
cell phones, televisions, VCRs, DVD
players, scanners and more – for free!
She is quick to state that she’s not a “Birkenstock kind-of-girl” or hippie but just an average
American advocating for rational re-use and educated conservation, especially with the added
benefit of being able to contribute to Habitat for Humanity’s mission.
Spring cleaning? Donate to
the ReStore!
“It was truly phenomenal!” she said, without hesitation. Jan also received Mission Viejo’s Certificate
of the Green Home Award in 2009, explaining that HfHOC’s DeConstruct “played a big part” in her
award and was “paramount” in her effort for a green remodel.
Appliances, kitchen cabinets,
exterior and interior lights, windows,
doors, vanities, molding and more. To
donate, please call Janet at the donation hotline at 714-434-6202.
For more information, please visit
our website www.ReStoreOC.org.
Cornerstone is a publication of
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County,
2200 S. Ritchey Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705
T (714) 434-6200 | F (714) 434-1222
Email public.relations@habitatoc.org
www.habitatoc.org.
Editor: Joan Dolan Ziegler.
Staff Writer: Gladys Hernandez.
Contributing Writers: Jaymie Fisher,
Jen French, Christine Le, Linda Shepard,
Dave Solt, Cindy Tullues.
Photographers: John Carrillo, Jeff Ellerbrock,
Jaymie Fisher, Lauri Reveles, Heather Rollins,
Robert Rooks, Jan Shomaker, Clay Williams
Graphic Design: Trixie Design, San Clemente.
Special thanks to Amy Gregory.
Jan explains the entire DeConstruct process took “less than three hours,” with the crew being able
to salvage everything from kitchen cabinets, furniture and art to toilets, granite and bathtubs, without leaving any damage to her home or the items.
When asked if she would recommend HfHOC’s DeConstruct Services to friends, she responded
with a resounding “YES, absolutely!”
For more information about Habitat OC’s DeConstruct Services, please visit our website at
www.deconstructoc.org and watch the video, email deconstruct@ReStoreOC.org or call
1-866-433-2666.
New and gently used home improvement materials at discounted prices.
NEW ITEMS ARRIVE EVERYDAY – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
If you would like to receive e-mail notifications of upcoming Habitat ReStore-OC sales, please e-mail gladys@habitatoc.org.
GARDEN GROVE RESTORE
12827 Harbor Blvd.
(between Garden Grove & Lampson)
Phone: (714) 590-8729
Mon- Fri: 9 am - 8 pm
Sat: 9 am - 6 pm | Sun: 11 am - 5 pm
SANTA ANA RESTORE
N E W B A R G A I N S E V E R Y D AY !
2200 South Ritchey
(Between Warner & Edinger)
Phone: (714) 434-6266
Mon. - Sat.: 9 am - 5 pm
Recycle. Reuse. Reduce. Rebuild.