habitHappenings
 

Celebrating More Than 20 Years of Building Hope, Lives & Communities

IN THIS ISSUE
HOMEOWNERSHIP FAIR
RIDE FOR HABITAT
L.A. DODGERS GIVE BACK
HABITAT ON THE HILL
HFH GLA RECEIVES FOUR STARS
HABITAT INSIDER
Board of Directors 
Chairman:

Craig Russell  

Walt Disney Imagineering 

 

 Vice-Chair:

Thomas F. Clarke 

PricewaterhouseCoopers

 

Secretary:

Jennifer Livingston

Union Bank

 

Travis J. Barr
Merrill Lynch

 

Gerard Bross

Hollywood Sierra Kitchens

 

Celine Cordero
 City of Los Angeles

Carl Jordan 

US Bank

  

 Ron Frank

Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP

 

Eva Kalawski  

Platinum Equity

 

Michael Lang
Miramax

 

Edward Lin
Warner Bros. Interactive Ent.

 

Kim McManus
Awaken Humanity

 

Jeff Moore
First California Bank

 

Arnold Ng

ReMax Commercial Real Estate

 

Matt Petersen  

Global Green USA

 

Linda Russell   

Wells Fargo

 

John Smet

Capital Group Companies


Masood Sohaili 

Manatt, Phelps, Phillips LLP

 

Jay Stark

JH Stark Companies

 

Troy Thrower  

The Woodward Group

 

Ken Walker

Ernst & Young

 

Alan Wright 

California Bank & Trust

 

Our Mission

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles builds and renovates homes in partnership with God and people everywhere with a goal of eliminating

substandard housing

by making decent,

affordable housing a matter of conscience and action in our communities.

 

310-323-HOME
Quick Links
WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS!!

Overhauling your home?  

Let us haul away your unwanted couches, cabinets, counters and more! 

 

The HFH GLA ReStores need your donations!  Be part of the solution today. Your donations change lives. 

 

www.shophabitat.org 

866-SHOP HFH


ReStore new logo

THANK YOU TO OUR VALUED SPONSORS

Andy Milder

Areta and Clarence Crowell

Arthur and Jane Riggs

Arthur Williams

Awaken Humanity

Bank of the West

Barbara Van Alstine

Barry Sween

Bentley Prince Street, Inc.

Bruce Norelius Studio

Carol Young

Cheryl Perkey and Neil Canter

Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc.

Constance Dunitz

Craig S. Russell

Creative Channel Services

Cuningham Group Foundation

Cynthia Allan

DIRECTV Incorporated

Donald and Virginia Whinfrey

Eagle Rock Baptist Church

Edward and Roberta Adams

El Pollo Loco

Eleanor Eck

Eric A. Webber and Gerard C. Kraaijeveld

Ernst & Young LLP

Faith Presbyterian Church of Torrance

Farmers Insurance Group

First California Bank

First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica

Fox Broadcasting Company

Frank and Carol Osmon

Gary and Jeralyn Kirby

George and Janet Buckley

Gina Wulff

Grace First Presbyterian Church

Greater Los Angeles Combined Federal Campaign

Holiday Carpet Company

Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin, Inc.

Hunter Douglas

IBM Employee Charity Contribution Campaign

Inglewood Board of REALTORS

Insyght Interactive Inc.

James and Lisa Givens

Jeffrey and Wendy Moore

Jennifer Livingston

JM Eagle

John and Darla Finnucan

John and Hilda Arnold Foundation, Inc.

John Z. Blazevich and Alex McLeod

Julian and Pamela Bieber

Kaiser Permanente , Downey Medical Center

Kenneth and Laura Stovitz

Kenneth and Tami Walker

Kent and Lauren Burton

King Tut Cabinets, LLC

Kohler Co.

Lava Bear Distribution Co., LLC

Law Offices of Charles B. Baumer, Inc.

Linda and Randy Russell

Location Managers Guild of America

Los Altos United Church of Christ

Lynch Electric

Lynn Abess

Malarkey Roofing Products

Mark and Donna MacDonald

Mark Hessman

Mary Ann Canter

Melanie Cook

Melanie Middien

Michael and Janet Vukadinovich

Microsoft Corporation

Neutrogena a Johnson & Johnson Company

Oarsmen Foundation

OXY, Long Beach Inc.

Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church

Randee and Ken Devlin

Reel Waste & Recycling, LLC

Regency Centers

Room & Board

Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C.

Ruth Weil

SA Recycling

Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles

Salesforce.com, Inc.

Schneider Electric

Scorebig, Inc.

Scott Boughton

Sermoonjoy Entertainment, Inc.

South Bay Presbyterian Church

St. Cross by-the-Sea Episcopal Church

State Farm Insurance Companies

Teles Properties

The Bank of New York Mellon

The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation

The Carl & Roberta Deutsch Foundation

The Cecile & Fred Bartman Foundation

The Dow Chemical Company

The Right Window Company

The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles

The Ruth/Allen Ziegler Foundation

Time Warner Cable

Toyota Financial Services

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America

Turner Construction Co.

Verra and Earnest Klinkert

Waste Management

West Los Angeles County Thrivent Chapter

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Whirlpool Corporation

William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

Ziffren Brittenham LLP


 

THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS
Bernards
California Department of Housing and Community Development
Celebrating Home
City of Burbank
City of Lawndale
City of Long Beach
City of Lynwood
Delta Air Lines
Mayor Bob Foster
The Home Depot Foundation
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Merck
John and Cindy Smet
Starbucks Coffee Company
Sterling West Escrow
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
W. M. Keck Foundation
Wells Fargo

NEWSLETTERFEBRUARY 2012

Greetings!

It's February and we are feeling the LOVE! It's been an exciting month with a successful Homeownership Resource Fair, a visit from the L.A. Dodgers and a very special honor from a premier charity evaluator. Read all about it here and continue spreading the love of HFH GLA...

HOMEOWNERSHIP RESOURCE FAIR A SUCCESS!

On Saturday, February 4, more than 700 people attended the HFH GLA Homeownership Resource Fair at Cal State University Dominguez Hills demonstrating the tremendous need in our community.   

 

Attendees of the fair were provided with information on a variety of opportunities for low-income families and individuals interested in affordable homeownership programs and home repair services. Workshops included information on how to qualify for an HFH GLA home, mortgage assistance, Habitat for Heroes Program for Veterans, how to improve credit scores and more!   

 

A special highlight from the day was City of Carson Mayor, Jim Dear and Val Lerch, representing Congresswoman Laura Richardson, addressing the STANDING ROOM ONLY crowd eager to learn more about opportunities available through HFH GLA.

Jeff Moore, HFH GLA Boardmember & First California Bank representative, addresses the crowd. 
 

Thank you to the many sponsors who made this incredible day possible: First California Bank, Union Bank, Northern Trust, Caring Realty and CSU Dominguez Hills. Presenting Sponsors included City of Refuge Church, Compton Worksource Center, CSU Dominguez Hills Police Department, Faithful Central, GRID Alternatives, International City Mortgage, Jump Start, Los Angeles Urban League, Operation HOPE, The Home Depot, Thrivent Financial, U.S. Vets, Volunteers of America, VA Greater Los Angeles and Wells Fargo.

 

In addition to the sponsors, more than 128 volunteers provided support to those attending the Fair. From greeting registrants to conducting workshops and providing credit reports to hosting children of hopeful homeowners in the Kids Activity Room, this day would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our volunteers and staff.

 

Thank you to all of those who participated in this event! 


Ride for Habitat

Are you an avid cyclist? 

Do you want to give back while enjoying  
one of your favorite activities? 

The Palos Verdes Ride for Habitat will kick-off its inaugural ride on Saturday, April 21, 2012! Riders will enjoy a 17-mile or 34-mile bike ride through Palos Verdes while helping raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA).  All funds raised will help hardworking, low-income families and individuals dreaming of homeownership in the Greater Los Angeles area!
 

Participating Habitat riders will begin their advanced 34-mile ride through Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills Estates at 7:30am, enjoying panoramic ocean views along the way. Intermediate riders will begin their 17-mile non-hilly ride at 8:30am. Both rides will start and finish at the five star Terranea Luxury Resort, located along a breathtaking stretch of the Pacific coastline.  

 

Space is limited to 200 riders SO REGISTER NOW! Special incentive to the first 100 riders who register online.   

 

Partner with us on a beautiful bike ride, or sponsor a cyclist on our Palos Verdes Ride for Habitat. Embark on a journey helping and partnering with HFH GLA to provide simple, sustainable and affordable housing for families and individuals in need.

 

 www.regonline.com/rideforhabitat  

to register, for ride details, to raise support and sponsor a rider

  

For additional information, please contact [email protected]

 
Terranea Luxury Resort 
 
L.A. DODGERS SPREAD THE LOVE

On Wednesday, February 8, HFH GLA was honored to be a part of the
Jerry Hairston installing a window. 
9th Annual Dodger Community Caravan!  This two-day event was a chance for the Dodgers organization to give back to the Los Angeles community.

 

Dodgers Javy Guerra, Jerry Hairston, Josh Lindblom and James Loney, as well as Dodger Alumni Bobby Castillo, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Kenny Landreaux, Derrel Thomas and Fernando Valenzuela and Dodger broadcaster Charley Steiner, joined us at a site in Lynwood.  

 

Players were welcomed to the site by staff and volunteers, as well as the partner family who will be moving into the home.  The Gonzalez family, Dodger fans themselves, were excited to greet the past and present players and shared with them the impact this homeownership opportunity
L.A. Dodgers join the Gonzalez family. 
has on their family.  Daughter Amerisa Gonzalez said, "Our American dream was to own land and thanks to HFH GLA we have that privilege."   

 

From painting, installing windows, demolition and tree stump removal, players got their hands dirty and quickly realized it was a day they will never forget. "I had the opportunity to install a brand new window and use the electric saw, which was awesome. Now, the window is installed and I'm pretty excited to have helped out a great family today", says Jerry Hairston.  

 

Thank you to the L.A. Dodgers organization for their commitment to giving back to the community. THINK BLUE!
 
To check out photos from the day,
 
40 DAYS OF BUILDING ON FAITH

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) and churches of all denominations will observe this year's Lenten season by volunteering to build and renovate ten homes throughout the Greater Los Angeles area!   

 

The 2nd Annual Lent Build: 40 Days of Building on Faith kicked off with a ceremony on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at a build site in South Gate. During Tuesday's event Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, Director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Habitat partner homeowners and volunteers who reflected on the importance of setting aside time to make a lasting difference during Lent, a season of giving.  

 

Building officially commenced on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012 when members of Faith United Methodist Church of Torrance volunteer to build. "We realize that renovating ten homes in forty days is a lofty goal, however we believe anything is   possible with the support of the local faith community," says Erin Rank, President & CEO of HFH GLA. "The combined efforts of our Lent Build volunteers, giving a few hours of their time, will clean up neighborhoods and greatly improve the quality of life for our partner homeowners and their families."

 

Last year, 28 congregations volunteered during Lent, building and renovating two affordable homes for hardworking,low-income partner homeowners. More volunteers are needed this year as the organization has increased its goal from renovating two homes to ten in forty days. Any individual, or church group in Greater Los Angeles, interested in lending a hand up with HFH GLA during Lent is urged to contact Chris Untiet, HFH GLA Faith Relations Manager, at [email protected] or 424-246-3622.

 

NSP2 Partner Homeowners, The Draughan Family, partners of last year's Lent Build 

   

HABITAT ON THE HILL

This past month, members of our HFH GLA staff and Youth United team, attended the California Habitat Advocacy day in Sacramento and the 6th Annual Habitat on the Hill, an advocacy and legislative conference in Washington D.C.  Both events were important to our work, as we fight to save dollars allocated to affordable housing and programs critical to Habitat's work, like SHOP (Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program), Section 4 Capacity Building, and other programs like AmeriCorps and VISTA national service. HFH GLA works with the help of volunteers, donors, partner homeowners and with the help of our local and national government. The elimination of these public funds and programs will significantly impact many Habitat affiliates, who leverage these funds 

HFH GLA Community Engagement Manager, Melissa Killian, HFH GLA VP of Advocacy & Community Partnerships,  Veronica Garcia, Habitat for Humanity CEO, Jonathan Reckford, HFH GLA Youth United President Jenny Sim, and HFH GLA Youth United Fundraising Chair, John Sim

to purchase land, pay for building permits and improve site infrastructure.  

 

If you support Habitat's work through volunteering or donating please take the next logical step and become an advocate for Habitat for Humanity. Contact your Representative and Senators and ask them to preserve funding for AmeriCorps and increase funding for SHOP.

 

CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can help! 

 

Together, we can do even more when elected officials know about our affordable housing efforts and goals.

 

HFH GLA RECEIVES FOUR STARS



HFH GLA has achieved the coveted Charity Navigator
Four-Star rating
awarded to non-profits for sound fiscal
management and commitment to accountability and transparency. We are in elite company! 


Charity Navigator is America's premier charity evaluator, highlighting the fine work of efficient, ethical and open charities. Their goal is to provide donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make.

Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that HFH GLA adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. A select few of the charities evaluated by Charity Navigator have received their highest rating, making this a huge honor for our affiliate. 

To see the full report, CLICK HERE!

BECOME A HABITAT INSIDER!

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and learn about how you can become an ADVOCATE for our families in your own community. 

 

There are various ways you can DONATE to HFH GLA!   

Your donations change lives - from a monetary gift to donating your car or donating household items to our ReStores - you can help eliminate substandard housing.

 

Pick up your hammers and join us as a VOLUNTEER on site today!  

No construction experience is required - just a smile  

and a willingness to help!   

 

 To become part of the solution today call or visit us: 

310.323-HOME(4663)  

www.habitatla.org