Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County

In this issue:

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity
Volunteer Spotlight
Jimmy Carter Work Project 2007
Women only build day

Thrivent Financial Funds Local Habitat Home!

$235,400 will go toward building a home in Santa Barbara

We are thrilled to announce that Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a not-for-profit membership organization helping 2.8 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities, is sponsoring one of our Via Lucero homes.

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County and the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Pacific Southwest Region are building a home in Santa Barbara as part of a nationwide effort to create homeownership opportunities with low-income families.

This is a very exciting partnership for our affiliate as we were selected by Thrivent among hundreds of other deserving communities.

Nationally, Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are building up to 312 homes in 2006. The homes will be in addition to the more than 5,000 homes Habitat affiliates build annually in the United States and represent a six percent increase in Habitat home production. During the four-year alliance, Thrivent Financial intends to invest a total of $105 million to increase annual house production by up to 500 U.S. homes per year and more around the world. For more information about Thrivent Financial, please visit their web site at www.thrivent.com. For information about their partnership with Habitat and the tremendous work they are doing visit http://www.thriventbuilds.com

Volunteer Spotlight

If you come out to work at the Via Lucero site, you will probably work alongside fellow volunteer Bob Gronendyke, who will soon celebrate his 76th birthday with hammer in hand.

A retired art teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, Fulbright scholar and world traveler, Bob's commitment to Habitat is unwavering and his enthusiasm contagious. Having taught art at Oxford, the American University in Beirut, Sonoma State and at Santa Maria High School, Bob is not only a world traveler but he knows a thing or two about making things beautiful. Lucky for us Bob brings many years of experience in building homes. He has generously volunteered his time and talent for Habitat projects in Florida, Honduras and now here in Santa Barbara. He even worked on the Habitat supported "Katrina House" project which was the first home-in-a-box delivered to the gulf coast. Next, he plans to join the Elder Hostel Program in Mobile, Alabama later on this fall to work on Habitat for Humanity homes there.

So what inspires Bob? He says he credits former President Jimmy Carter, one of the foremost volunteers for Habitat for Humanity International, whom he admires and who inspired him to carry on his work with Habitat for Humanity.

Now as a retiree he says his philosophy is simple: volunteer, contribute to his community, pay taxes, and vote. With his work for Habitat he hopes that his commitment will encourage young people to realize the importance of contributing to the community and the importance and necessity of eliminating sub-standard housing. He has already signed up for every work day of the Via Lucero project. We invite you to come meet Bob and get inspired yourself. Our thanks to Bob for his commitment and dedication. He serves as an inspiration to us all.

Habitat Headlines is published by Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County periodically for our volunteers, supporters and friends to keep you informed about our latest news and volunteer opportunities.

Los Angeles Selected to Host Habitat for Humanity's Jimmy Carter Work Project in 2007

Habitat for Humanity International leaders announced recently that Los Angeles has been selected to host the 24th Jimmy Carter Work Project. The event has been scheduled for Oct. 28 – Nov. 2, 2007. Our Santa Barbara Affiliate is considering sponsoring one of these homes. More details will be provided on how you can participate when they become available.

Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter, along with his wife, Rosalynn, and Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford will join volunteers from the United States and around the world in Los Angeles to build and renovate houses in partnership with families in need.

"The first step to solving the affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles, and for that matter throughout the world, is to shine a spotlight on the problem and implore all Americans to confront the issue," said President Carter.

"Rosalynn and I are incredibly pleased that Los Angeles has agreed to host the project in 2007. We hope our efforts, and those of the thousands of Habitat volunteers who join us each year, will raise not only walls but awareness of the power we each have to create significant and substantive change in communities throughout California, our country and the world."

Habitat for Humanity International's Jimmy Carter Work Project is an annual, internationally recognized event in which the former U.S. president and his wife join Habitat volunteers to build simple, decent and affordable homes in partnership with people in need of both housing and hope. President Carter's longstanding relationship with Habitat for Humanity began in 1984 when he donated one day of his carpentry skills and manual labor at a work site in Americus, Ga., home to Habitat's international headquarters. Later that same year, the Carters led their first weeklong work project, helping to renovate a six-story, 19-unit building in New York City.

Jimmy Carter Work Projects have resulted in homes that house more than 10,000 people around the world in communities such as Detroit, New York City, Houston and Miami and in countries such as Hungary, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

The 2006 JCWP will see 100 homes built in Lonavala, India, Oct. 30-Nov. 4.

Women-at-Work for Habitat for Humanity

First ever, woman-only build day marks beginning of construction of three Habitat homes in Santa Barbara

Lifting Wall

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County held its first ever, all-woman build day, "Women at Work for Habitat for Humanity" on Saturday, June 17. This project brought together over 50 volunteers in an all-women construction crew and marked the beginning of construction on three Habitat homes in Santa Barbara County.

Mayor Marty Blum officially started the day by hammering in the first nail. "I'm delighted to be here," she said in her remarks. "Habitat for Humanity's contribution to our community is invaluable. It's inspiring to work alongside these dedicated families and volunteers as together we tackle the challenging dilemma of substandard housing."

The three women whose families will live one day in the Habitat homes that are being built worked alongside the volunteers contributing "sweat equity" amid cheers and words of encouragement. The day ended with the completion of the first-floor framing of one of the homes to be occupied by a low-income family.

Community was at the center of this day-long event that was hosted by students from the Project Management capstone course at UCSB Extension. Many local businesses also supported the event. The Women's Club of Maravilla made sandwiches for all volunteers, and other donors included Amgen Corporation, Chicago Title, employees of Dako North American and Thomson Medstat, First American Title, HealthNet, Lazy Acres, Pacific Foam Company, Peet's Coffee, Santa Barbara Community Church, Trader Joe's, Von's and Ralph's.

Women at work photos