Press Release

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County Home in Memory of Gordon Yeaton to be Framed at Episcopal Convention in Anaheim

Anaheim, CA, June 26, 2009--Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and the Los Angeles Diocese of the Episcopal Church will partner for the first time to build a home in conjunction with the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The home will be framed in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena on July 9, 10 and 11, 2009, as part of a collaborative youth service project to honor the memory of the Reverend Canon Gordon B. Yeaton, Jr., an Episcopal priest, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County board member, teacher, volunteer and activist who died in 2007.

"Gordon was an exemplar of grateful, giving service -- a man who gave sacrificially of his time, talent and treasure to serve humanity," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the six-county Diocese of Los Angeles. "We honor his memory now by giving sacrificially to build Gordon’s House. I urge everyone to make every effort to share in this work as Gordon would have done, generously and sacrificially."

The estimated cost of $250,000 to build the home is a fundraising project among the Los Angeles Diocese of the Episcopal Church combined with community and corporate contributions. After framing, the home will be transported to its permanent site in Westminster, California, and is scheduled for completion in December 2009. Volunteer hours will come mostly from the L.A. Diocese which serves Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties.

"Gordon's connection with young people throughout his life, and his love for the work of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, was the inspiration for this Gordon's House to be built in Orange County," said Sharon Ellis, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

Gordon Yeaton -- whose father was also an Episcopal priest -- was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in 1990. His last assignment was with St. Paul's Parish Church in Tustin. He served as Chair of the Diocesan Program Group on Youth Ministry and was an instructor for the Irvine School District for over 25 years. His wife Adelle recently retired from the Irvine Unified School District and resides in Irvine.

For additional background about Gordon's House, contact Project Coordinator the Rev. Michael Archer at (714) 962-7512; Robert Williams, canon for community relations in the L.A. Diocese at (213) 482-2040, ext. 240; or visit Gordon's House

Note to Media: All attending media must register online for credentials at:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_86252_ENG_HTM.htm

Gordon's House Timeline/Photo & Interview Opportunities

About the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and Congregations in Orange County

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles unites some 70,000 Episcopalians in 147 neighborhood congregations, some 40 schools and 20 other specialized service institutions located in six Southern California counties. With 22 congregations in Orange County, the Diocese is historically one of the five most populous and culturally diverse of the Episcopal Church’s 110 dioceses located in 16 nations and territories. The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno is bishop of the Diocese, which is currently focusing on the mission theme "Faith & Our Future."

The Episcopal Church's General Convention, held every three years, is the bicameral governing body of the church. General Convention, the second largest legislative body in the world, is comprised of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 members, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives from the 110 dioceses, with approximately 850 members. For more information, call Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer at (212) 716-6080 or visit www.episcopalchurch.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.

###