A publication of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
August 2009
An Invitation from Elaine Wilkerson
I
hope you will participate in the fundraising and material and equipment donation efforts needed to make the new Geneva Street Homes development in Glendale a reality. I first got involved with Habitat for Humanity in 2001. When I arrived as Glendale’s Planning Director, I had the pleasure of attending the dedication ceremonies for the second and third Habitat developments in Glendale. Gardena Avenue has three homes and Orange Street has four residences. The joy of the families when they received the keys to their new homes was infectious. The smiling kids were the most moving. They had survived living in crowded apartments, sometimes in unsafe apartments and neighborhoods. They were so excited to be in their own home in Glendale. There was something magical about seeing this time of joy. After I retired as Planning Director in December 2006 I wanted to do as much as I could to assist SGV Habitat for Humanity in providing decent, affordable homes for hard working, low-income families. I worked for quite a while as a volunteer on city planning issues for Habitat. Recently I became Head of the Fundraising Campaign for the Geneva Homes. The new Geneva Street development for five more homes is the seventh one in the partnership between SGV Habitat for Humanity and the City of Glendale since it all began in the mid 1990s. This will be the first “green” build. We face a big challenge. The Glendale Housing Authority approved this development in June. The Authority will provide the land to Habitat - if we
can raise $400,000 within 14 months. That is when the five deserving families will be selected, and we will need many volunteers to help build the homes. We also need to raise another $200,000 to finish the homes. This $600,000 will pay for building materials and other costs. In addition to these funds, we also need ‘in kind’ donations of building materials.
Geneva Rendering
I want to give you an example of what it means to a family to finally get a decent affordable home in a safe neighborhood, hoping this will motivate
you to help us build the five homes on Geneva Street: Recently I visited Bertha Frausto at her family’s Habitat Home on Palmer Avenue in Glendale. She told me how devastated she was when her family’s first application for a Gardena home in Glendale was not successful. But she tried again. Bertha told me that when the Selection Committee arrived at her apartment to tell her that her family had been selected for one of the Palmer Avenue homes, “It was the best day of my life. I thought I had won the lottery and cried tears of joy.” I invite you to be part of the Habitat experience. There are many ways for you to do so—volunteering on the build site; donating funds or building equipment, supplies and services; and asking your friends to do the same! We have a lot to do. Thank you very much for your help. 1