Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dear Santa, I Want A House With My Own Room For Christmas...

Ho Ho Ho! The Bay Area Habitat for Humanity Santa delivers: three new houses for three amazing families this Christmas!

Last Friday, after months of hard work from thousands of volunteers, and donations from fabulous and caring members of the community, the Ordonez, Viera, and Burns Families each received the keys to their new homes on Florida Street! It certainly was a time to celebrate, and celebrate we did. Volunteers, donors, friends and family were "dancing in the street" (which up until that night had no sign, and now is equipped with a street name and a stop sign!). The Habitat staff spoke words of gratitude and appreciation and shared stories of the time it took to fund and build the three homes, the homeowners received the customary gifts of bread, wine, salt, and a Bible, the homes were blessed, and the families got the gift of a lifetime: their own home. While the families took their first looks inside their houses, the rest of the crowd enjoyed hot chocolate, chili, hot smokies, and homemade tamales, while the choir from Whitcomb Elementary School sung carols. In front of the now 5 homes on the street, which were decorated with Christmas lights and handmade wood cutouts (Thanks to Tommy's girls!), the site turned into a magical Winter Wonderland (minus the snow, of course)! We couldn't have asked for a better night.

It has been an amazing few months, working alongside our newest homeowners and getting to know them and their families. The end result is not just a house constructed with wood and nails. It's a home for someone who has worked so hard to have what they have and who cares so much for their family that they are willing to do what it takes to give them the best future they possibly can. We are so lucky to be able to be a part of helping them do that. And this year, we got to do it 3 more times! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present than to see these families cry tears of joy as they opened their doors for the first time.

We love you Amber, Salvador, Sarah, Jacob, Pedro, Cassandra, Pedro Jr., Jonathan, Sariah, Jackie, Ta-Shea, and Delvin. Thank you for making this a Christmas we'll never forget.

God Bless.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at Freebirds = Success!

With so many amazing, hard working and dedicated volunteers supporting our affiliate, we really wanted to do something special to let them know how much we truly appreciate them. One day, as we were brainstorming some ideas on how this could best be done, we got a call from Freebird World Burritos, letting us know they were opening a new restaurant and they wanted to partner with our team to do something nice for us and our supporters. How awesome is that?? A total God send. So, last night, Freebird World Burittos on 646 in League City opened their doors to us and lavished our volunteers with all the free wine, beer and burrito's they could fill their belly's with! The place was donned in true Freebird style with tin foil decorations, awesome painted murals on the walls and the Freebirds "Mystery Van" out in the parking lot. They also had a rockin' band (that might have been a little too spirited for some of our long-time regulars, but still wonderful) setting the mood throughout the night, and Guitar Hero set up on a big screen out front. Speeches were made, and gratitude and appreciation showered over everyone. Overall, it will go down in Habitat history as a great success, as people left fed, full and happy :)

A big thank you to Freebird's owners, managers and staff, for hosting the night, and another big thank you to all of our Volunteers! You are all so amazing, and we couldn't function without you!

Friday, December 10, 2010

You Rock N' Roll, Freebirds!


This past Wednesday, an awesome crew from Freebirds Burritos "rolled" onto the worksite in style, ready to get down and dirty with Habitat. The day was muddy and cold, but there were no complaints, as our trusty volunteers moved heavy building materials, hauled large debris to the dumpster, and helped us get our three houses ready to be moved into next Friday!


For lunch, they brought in the truck, and fed us burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers, hot off the grill! The store owners stopped by with donuts for dessert and to take a look around, looking seemingly impressed with our operation.


After lunch, everyone spent a few more hours cleaning up and clearing out. We couldn't have asked for a better group of volunteers on a cold, blustery day in Dickinson.


Thanks Freebirds!! You Rock!


P.S. Help support the Habitat/Freebird partnership by eating at the Freebirds Burrito's Grand Opening on 646 (by the Lowes), on Tuesday, December 14th. A portion of the proceeds for the day will be donated to the Bay Area Habitat for Humanity Affiliate. Stop by and get your burrito on!

Monday, December 6, 2010

'Tis The Season To Get Your Gifts Wrapped!

Alright everyone! Our Gift Wrapping Fundraiser has officially begun. We are at a bit of a disadvantage this year, because we are not in the mall...

But we're close!

This holiday season, we accepted the very generous gift of a free store front on the outskirts of the Baybrook Mall parking lot (Thank you Davis Holdings!). Down near the Dillards/Forever 21 end of the mall, you'll find us just a few doors down from Catherine's Plus Size. One of our adorable life-size (if you're less than 4 feet tall) playhouses is sitting out front, donned with Christmas lights, mailboxes and a big banner.

So, if you're at the mall, or happen to drive past with gifts in the car, stop by our store and let us wrap them for you. By making a small donation this year, you will be giving the gift of a new home, a better life, and a brighter future for one family next Christmas.

Our visibility is limited, so please spread the word!


Bay Area Habitat for Humanity
Gift Wrapping Store
Baybrook Mall Strip
7 Days a Week
Sat. & Sun: 12pm-6pm
Mon.-Fri.: 10am-8pm




For inquiry or directions, call 281-337-3590.