Announcing February Series on HOW YOU CAN HELP HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

That's right, throughout the month of February we will be posting various suggestions as to how you can help Habitat for Humanity to Build a Greater L.A. It's leap year, which means we all get one extra day this year - how will you use it?

We are calling it "21 Ways in 21 Days" series. Each weekday in February we'll post a new way you and your friends, family and colleagues can support our mission to end the affordable housing crisis and change lives for deserving families in the community.

We could never have built over 230 homes in Greater Los Angeles without our volunteers and we hope you'll visit this blog in February, find something that appeals to you and join Habitat!

If you simply cannot wait for February, contact us today!

http://www.habitatla.orgHabitat for Huminaty of Greater L.A.
310-323-4663
volunteers@habitatla.org

Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles needs weekday volunteers and interns!

Most often when people consider volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, they believe that will require back-breaking effort involving window installations and climbing on roofs. The truth is there are so many different ways to volunteer, and one of the most needed at this time is office help.

If you have a few days a week that you aren't in class, or you work part time and you want to hone your office skills and help out an amazing cause, please contact us! No ladder climbing required! We would love to hear from you and help you become an important part of our volunteer and Intern network.

You can learn more about more about our Internship programs (how many hours, college-credit etc.) online. Or e-mail us at:
Contact HabitatGLA@gmail.com or Dlewis@habitatla.org.

Disney's College Road Trip and Habitat For Humanity team up!

On March 7, Disney will premiere a comedy featuring Raven-Symone and Martin Lawrence. The movie is the story of a High School Senior (Symone) who wants to stretch her wings and visit colleges without her overbearing police officer Father, (Lawrence). Her hopes of a fun “girls-trip” are dashed when her father turns the voyage into a comedic nightmare for Symone and her friends.

So what on Earth does this have to do with Habitat for Humanity of Greater LA? Well, normally it wouldn’t have much to do with what Habitat does. But, in this particular instance Disney is teaming up with Habitat for Humanity for the Premiere of the movie at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. As part of Habitat for Humanity’s commitment to Building a Greater L.A., Disney will dedicate 250,000 dollars to fund a Habitat home in Burbank, a portion of which is hoped to be raised at the Movie premiere.

Check out the Official College Road Trip Website and Trailer.

For info about purchasing a sponsor package please contact jpedersen@habitatla.org

Habitat for Humanity Partner Families

Habitat for Humanity takes a lot of time to get to know and work with the families who work towards home ownership. These families accumulate work hours that count towards their mortgage by volunteering not only on the actual home they help build, but also in the home store at the Greater Los Angeles office location as well as with other events that Habitat puts on throughout the year! Our families are stellar and they become part of the bigger Habitat for Humanity family. Here are a few letters that these families wrote about their experiences with HFHGLA.

The Lenard Family

My sons and I, Chevonne Lenard, are very eager to participate in the building process of our Habitat home. It is a great way to gain building experience. Learning about different tools and materials will always come in handy. I believe that we will be great homeowners because I have organized a neighborhood watch program in our current area and have provided my neighbors with city services information. My family and I believe that a family that works together stands strong together. There is also a lot of respect for our neighbors.

The Sanchez Family

Thanks to Habitat for Humanity we, the Sanchez Family, have learned how to do a lot of new things like how to put in a nail on a piece of wood without hurting your finger and also how to work together as a team. We have also met a lot of amazing people that like to help families like us and also great new friends that will soon be our neighbors. Habitat for Humanity has made one of my most wanted dreams come true for my family. When they told me that my family was selected to have our own house, I felt really happy with my new home because my kids are gong to be able to have their own space and we are going to live in a nicer neighborhood. I also wish to learn more things with Habitat so I can also help to build new homes for other families. Habitat for Humanity has inspired me to do so and that’s because of all the nice and great things that the people from Habitat for Humanity do.


To read more about families selected by Habitat for Humanity check out these blog post:

The Prieto-Anzures Family Gets the News!

The Mayor of Lynwood Surprised 3 Very Wonderful Families

To find out more about Habitat for Humanity families or apply to become a partner family in Los Angeles please visit Our Website

Cheese Head volunteer featured in local paper

The Jimmy Carter Work Project may have ended a few months ago, but the volunteers are still making noise! Patrick Poehler was recently featured in his local paper The Journal Times. In his interview the Wisconsin native, (where the Superbowl bound Green Bay Packers are from!) Poehler talked about his experience with the volunteer Habitat for Humanity project in Los Angeles. Here are some features from his interview in his words:

Why is it Important (Jimmy Carter Work Project)
Very few people have the opportunity to work on the Jimmy Carter Project held each year and few even get the chance to meet Mr. Carter. Only a few receive the chance to actually work with him. It was a huge honor. Mr. Carter is 84 years old and will not be doing this much longer. he is a great humanitarian and is helping to build decent, affordable housing for people in need in the United States and many other countries.

To read the rest of this interview check it out at the Journal Times Online.

Stryker's day at the build site

Last November Honorary House Leader for the JCWP, Stryker, came to build at the Vermont Village location. Many know Stryker from his time on KROQ, or more recently from appearances on Loveline and Ellen. Stryker was enthusiastic during his day building, and he brought smiles to those building with him. He even took some time to enjoy the lunch truck that other volunteers have become so familiar with! We hope to see him again soon on another Habitat for Humanity build!

New Years Resolutions

So often people say at the start of the New Year, "I want to give back this year, that is my resolution." Volunteering with HFH is truly giving something back to your community as well as giving something to yourself. It is so easy to volunteer with us, and we are always in need of those who would like to help. You don't have to know how to use a nail gun to help. You can volunteer in our Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Store, or help your children's school raise money for Nickels for Nails, a program designed to help children raise money for supplies necessary at every build event. Whether you have a week to devote to a Blitz build, or a day to volunteer raising money, you can give back to the Los Angeles community. Contact volunteers@habitatla.org for more information about keeping your New Year's resolution!

Building a playground for Partner families

On December 6th Home Depot and Kaboom partnered together to bring the children of the Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles kids the playground of their dreams. The children, who will soon move into the Vermont village homes, drew pictures of what they wanted their playground to look like. Kaboom and Home Depot delivered. They day was filled with building, painting and plenty of smiles from the kids as well as the kids at heart!