Press Release

Announcing Habitat for Humanity of Orange County's "Best Friends Build Day"

Celebrate Mothers Day by building in Yorba Linda - help raise funds for the next Habitat Women Build home in Orange County

Santa Ana, CA, March 23, 2009 --Habitat for Humanity of Orange County will hold a "Best Friends Build Day" in Yorba Linda on Thursday, May 7, 2009. This event will serve as a fundraiser for the Women Build-OC committee and is open to the public. People interested in participating will be asked to purchase a ticket for the day and bring a friend or relative on site to accompany them. Make "Best Friends Build Day" a part of your Mothers Day festivities!

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County volunteers and Women Build-OC committee volunteers will gather to socialize, build three affordable homes in Yorba Linda, and raise funds for future Women Build homes in Orange County. All local residents are invited to participate.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and the Women Build-OC Committee.

Thursday, May 7, 2009, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration begins at 7:30 immediately followed by the safety meeting at 7:45.

Habitat Construction Site at 4965 Park Avenue, Yorba Linda, CA 92675

To purchase a ticket, contact Sarah McQuire at (714) 434-6200 x 223 or sarahm@habitatoc.org

Please join this unique volunteering opportunity by bringing your best friend to build on our Habitat construction site in Yorba Linda. When you register for the "Best Friends Build" you will also commit to purchasing a workday ticket for two. Each ticket covers the admission for yourself and your guest. Your contribution will support the Women Build-OC program to help build simple, decent homes in Orange County.

All guests who register will also receive a complimentary Women Build tool belt and T-Shirt. Refreshments, lunch, entertainment and training will all be provided.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County will build a three-home development on a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Park Ave and Yorba Linda Boulevard in the City of Yorba Linda. Habitat OC will introduce their new 'mixed income model' for this development. Homes will be marketed to families with incomes within the following levels: two homes will be marketed to buyers earning up to 120% of the area median income ($100,900 for a family of four) and one home will be marketed to a local family earning 50% of the area median income ($46,500 for a family of four).

The size and design of the homes will be consistent with the surrounding Yorba Linda community. Homes will be two-story with three bedrooms and either 1-1/2 or 2-1/2 baths. All will include attached two-car garages, front porches and stone veneer accents to ensure these homes will be attractive and appropriate for the City of Yorba Linda. Landscaping has been professionally designed, with plans to include a tree in each front yard and meandering walkways to create a warm and welcoming pedestrian guest entry.

Linda Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International, began encouraging Women Builds in the late 1980's. Since then, women crews have built more than 250 homes within the United States. In April 2000, an Orange County Women Build committee was formed, and fund-raising and promotional activities began in earnest to raise the funds it would take to build a Women Build house in Orange County. Orange County's first Women Build home was built in Costa Mesa; the second in Santa Ana; the third in Huntington Beach in 2006; the fourth in Fullerton; and the fifth in Anaheim. For more information, call (714) 434-6200 ext. 766 or e-mail womenbuild@habitatoc.org

About Habitat for Humanity of Orange County

Celebrating 20 years of changing lives and changing communities in Orange County. 130 houses built in Orange County
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, headquartered in Santa Ana, CA, is dedicated to ending substandard housing and building strong communities in Orange County. Habitat uses non-government donations of funding, materials, professional services and volunteer labor to build simple, decent homes which are sold to qualified low-income families for a 1% down payment, closing costs, and a zero-interest mortgage. Mortgage payments are recycled to build more Habitat homes. Habitat families contribute 500 hours of "sweat equity" to the program by building their own home, helping another Habitat family build a home, or working in some other area of the Habitat organization. Habitat for Humanity families and volunteers have built 130 homes in Orange County since 1988, and are currently building eight homes in San Juan Capistrano.

27 homes to be built in San Juan Capistrano
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County’s Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families™ development of 27 homes at the end of Calle Rolando will be built in phases.  Framing for the first four homes began on July 2, 2008.  The second four homes were framed on October 3, 2008.  Funding for the land on which these homes are being built was donated by the City of San Juan Capistrano Redevelopment Agency.  Funds for building these homes have been generously donated by The HTN Foundation; Bank of America; the Orange County Realtors Partnership, which consists of the Orange County Association of REALTORS®, Laguna Board of REALTORS®, and Newport Beach Association of REALTORS®; an anonymous donor;  the Steve Tisch Foundation; Toshiba America Business Solutions; the Presbyterian Partnership; St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point; Hyundai Motor America; the Van Cleve Foundation; and more than a thousand other local donors.

300,000 houses built worldwide
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, an ecumenical Christian housing ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat International has built more than 300,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.5 million people. Habitat for Humanity International is currently the 16th largest homebuilder in the United States, according to Builder OnLine magazine.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, please call (714) 434-6200 extension 229 or visit our Web site at habitatoc.org.

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