Months of hard work have finally paid off for members of the
local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which recently gained
official status and has received nearly $15,000 in donations to
date.
Hollister – Months of hard work have finally paid off for members of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which recently gained official status and has received nearly $15,000 in donations to date.
The 12 board members will be meeting Dec. 6 to vote in the president, vice president and directors. They will also be laying out the upcoming year’s agenda concerning fundraising and future construction, said Cynthia Holthouse, founder of the chapter and loan officer for World Savings Bank.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization with chapters all over the world and works to provide simple, affordable housing by partnering in home ownership. Habitat volunteers work with a partnering family to build a home the family will eventually purchase.
While the local group worked to gain nonprofit status, all fundraising efforts were put on hold because they couldn’t accept donations until their status was official, Holthouse said.
Now that it finally is, money has been rolling in and the group hopes the generosity continues.
World Savings, which gave $10,000 to help the chapter start, only donates money to nonprofits when employees are directly involved, Holthouse said.
“I had asked for funding before but they said I had to be involved – which is what spurred me into wanting to start the local chapter,” she said. “Usually (nonprofits) only get $2,500, but by putting the group together World felt it warranted a larger donation. That’s a big donation.”
Coldwell Banker also sponsored a raffle fundraiser for the chapter in August and raised over $4,000, said marketing director Kacie Ricker.
Because Coldwell Banker offices throughout the state participate in the fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, if they choose, they can give their earnings to other chapters that may have more of a need, Ricker said.
“I haven’t received definite word, but I heard through the grapevine that Morgan Hill and Gilroy did want their money to go to Hollister,” she said.
The Morgan Hill office raised about $2,900 and Gilroy raised approximately $4,700, she said.
Holthouse got a group of community members together in March and proposed starting a chapter in Hollister. The area’s steep real estate market and lack of affordable housing made it a prime location for a chapter, she said.
While it’s taken months of planning, the wheels are finally turning and Holthouse hopes to start on a project soon.
Because of Hollister’s building moratorium, she said the group would like to find a fixer-upper to renovate for a needy family.
“We all have this passion to make a difference in our community,” she said. “We’ll solidify everything on the sixth, then start soliciting property and do family selection. But we’ll start out on a smaller scale because we’re a new, start-up Habitat.”
Anyone who would like to donate time, money, supplies or land to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity can contact
Cynthia Holthouse at (831) 637-5590.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
