All Women’s Crew Rehabilitates Contra Costa Home For New Family

Clarice Garrison Provides Legacy Gift of Her Home Concord – One of Clarice Garrison’s last wishes was that her home be transformed to provide a deserving low income family with a new home they could call their own. Her dream will come true at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 as Habitat for Humanity East Bay (HEB) dedicates her two-bedroom home at 2742 Bonifacio Street in Concord. At the event, the keys to the renovated home will be turned over to the Padilla family, who will now begin a new life thanks to Garrison’s gift and the work of a unique group of Habitat volunteers – the famed All Women’s Crew. As part of the Habitat model of home ownership, Miriam Padilla and her brother, Armando, have worked side by side with this dedicated group of women volunteers to refurbish the home following Garrison’s death in December of 2008. A strong believer in Habitat’s mission of rebuilding communities through opportunities for families, Garrison was inspired by the generosity and dedication one of Habitat’s most famous volunteers, former President Jimmy Carter, and his 26-year commitment to families in need of affordable housing. The members of the Women’s Crew are the sponsor of the renovation of this Habitat home, having raised over $50,000 to rehabilitate the home through a variety of fundraising activities, including selling Habitat merchandise, hosting events, and asking others to donate to the cause. This exclusive support (there are no government funds or other major donors for this project) also includes an incredible hands-on effort of 45 volunteers from the Women’s Crew. The Women’s Crew celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, and their work revitalizing the Garrison home represents their seventh home sponsorship for Habitat East Bay. Members of the crew have taken up hammers and paint brushes and run table saws to prepare the home for the Padilla family, who worked side by side with the women, providing their required sweat equity as down payment for the home. The Garrison home rehab began in July ’09 with the demolition/deconstruction of some of the interior walls of the 1068 square foot home as well as major cleanup of the front and back yards which were severely overgrown. Built as military housing in 1941, the home features a large backyard and deck as well as a beautiful front lawn.. Removing walls, old carpeting, insulation and leaky windows and replacing them with energy efficient alternatives have been part of the volunteer effort. The Women’s Crew has created an informative and entertaining week-by-week blog of work on the house, accompanied by photos, that can be found at www.HabitatEB.org/concordrehab. Habitat East Bay is currently active in Contra Costa County renovating additional properties as part of their partnership with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Bay Point in association with the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development. In addition, HEB is inviting the public to participate in its annual Earth Day Build-A-Thon, which will take place in Oakland, April 17-20. For more information about the Padilla family home dedication and the Women’s Crew activities or about Habitat East Bay’s Legacy Society, which offers an opportunity for those who would like to leave a gift for Habitat in their will, contact Sue Howell, Donor Development Officer, at 510-251-6304, Ext. 307. For more information about the Neighborhood Stabilization Program or the Earth Day Build-A-Thon call 510-251-6304 or visit the website at www.HabitatEB.org.