As third annual trail ride starts, rehab projects will begin
soon
As third annual trail ride starts, rehab projects will begin soon
In the coming months, a few San Benito County families will start home repair projects. One homeowner will install a new roof. Another will have the flooring redone from room to room. Some will have plumbing fixtures replaced and a fresh coat of paint added to the walls.
These home projects, however, are unique because they are the first rehabilitation projects to come out of the Habitat for Humanity San Benito County chapter.
“I do real estate – home loans – and we get a lot of people who come in who would like to purchase a home or want to do remodels,” said Cynthia Holthouse, one of the founding members of the local chapter. “They might want new windows, but a lot of them couldn’t afford it or couldn’t qualify.”
The chapter was organized in 2004 and officially became affiliated with Habitat in September 2005. Since its inception, the members have been focused on fund-raising to start a few rehabilitation projects.
“A lot of people are living in substandard [housing],” Holthouse said. “One home is almost completely stripped and an elderly woman lives there.”
The Habitat members started accepting applications last winter and over the summer, worked to narrow down the families to those who qualified. To qualify residents have to live in San Benito County, own their own home, have someone physically capable of assisting with the remodeling and they have to meet income requirements.
There were a few reasons the local chapter decided to start with rehabilitation projects rather than building homes from scratch.
“We would love to build a new house, but given the moratorium and cost of land we decided to do a couple rehab projects this year,” said George Lewis, the president of the chapter. “Everyone on the Board wanted to build a new house, but in reality we realized we couldn’t. We felt it was necessary to move and not just raise money.”
After a few years focused on fund-raising, Lewis said most of the board members are more than ready to start on a project.
“It’s exciting, and I guess, a little scary,” said Lewis, who has a background in civil engineering. “Here we are dealing with something a little challenging because we are working in someone’s house when they are living in it.”
While some of the projects will add a little color to the homes – with paint – most of the projects are focused on improving the safety of the homes through such things as replacing roofs, replacing windows and fixing leaks. When the projects get under way the habitat members will need contractors to volunteer who have experience with plumbing and electrical work. They will also have other jobs for interested volunteers with less home repair know-how, such as painting and clean up.
“Up until now we’ve been getting the word out and raising money,” said Peggy Pierce, a board member. “Now we can actually do something.”
While the group prepares for their first projects, they have relied on help from several major sponsors. Regular contributors through the years include Washington Mutual Home Loans, Coldwell Banker, Pietra Santa, Fremont Investment and Loan, DMB El Rancho San Benito and San Juan Oaks.
In addition, the group is also finishing up plans for their biggest fund-raiser of the year. The Third Annual Harvest Ride and Dinner Dance will take place Oct. 6.
“We’ve had two good years,” Lewis said. “We had about 75 riders last year and had a dinner dance with 200 to 300 people.”
The trail ride meanders through the San Juan Canyon across the Brigantino and DeMaggio ranches and Brian and Cynthia Holthouse’s ranch. The ride also crosses San Juan Oaks. This year’s event offers a short trail ride, followed by cattle sorting at lunch or a longer trail ride without the cattle sorting. The best cattle sorters will win belt buckles and a large commemorative buckle will be available for bidding at the dinner auction. Those participating in the trail ride must have their own horses. Non-riders are welcome to join in on the fund-raising by attending just the dinner dance and auction portion of the evening.
“The way it began was just a collection of friends, ranchers and horse people, all rallied for it,” said Holthouse of the fund-raiser. “It’s a fun day that goes back to our own county. All the money stays local and we will see the faces of the projects soon.”
3rd Annual Harvest Trail Ride and Dinner Dance
The day includes a horse ride through San Juan Canyon, a barbecue lunch and optional cattle sorting. Afterwards riders can join other residents at San Juan Oaks for dinner, entertainment by Eight Second Ride, and a live and silent auction.
– The works includes trail ride, lunch, dinner and a goodie bag – $150 per person
– Trail ride and lunch – $100 per person
– Dinner dance – $60 per person
– Cattle sorting during lunch – $30 per person
For more information, call 635-9904. For more information on Habitat for Humanity of San Benito County, visit www.hfhsbc.org.
