It’s the kind of story you see on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” only this time it’s happening here, and the recipient of the home is someone who’s putting in both sweat equity and a down payment to make her home a reality.
Xiomara Gonzales is the single mother of six beloved children in a blended family, including four family members she adopted. Gonzales is also a hard-working team supervisor at Mercy Regional Medical Center, where she has been employed for 13 years.
Enter Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, which has helped 38 families like Gonzales’ own their own homes in La Plata County. Gonzales and her brood are the next partner family for a home that will be Habitat’s largest ever, five bedrooms, to be built in 2014.
As part of its fundraising effort, Habitat held its 15th anniversary Liquor World Wine Tasting Crystal Ball on Nov. 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel. The event is always a crush, but this year Habitat experimented with a new layout that was a rousing success as it allowed more space for the more than 150 guests to enjoy the food, wine and visiting that are the hallmark of the event.
The Durango High School Pro-Start Program, under the supervision of teacher Susan Francis and Ryan Lowe of the Ore House, organized the noshing factor. Both Liquor World’s staff members and that of Leah A. Deane of Republic National Distributing Co. and Grand Vin kept the fruit of the grape flowing.
The DoubleTree and Sherry Wertz of Liquor World have both sponsored the event all 15 years, and this year, First National Bank of Durango joined in the fun.
So many people don’t understand how Habitat works. It’s not free housing, it’s affordable housing for folks who work hard at jobs where the income doesn’t match our local real estate values. By the time Gonzales and her children move into the home, they will have invested at least 250 hours of sweat equity and made a down payment, just like any home purchaser. She will be responsible for mortgage payments and home maintenance.
New Habitat Executive Director Rachel Taylor-Saghie told me the organization needs to raise about $272,000 to build the modest Energy Star Version 3 certified home.
“This is quite the endeavor,” she said. “Our families are so hardworking and productive, but sometimes life is so hard.”
One of the things that makes this a real community is the wide variety of people who live here – we’re not all well-to-do retirees, or college students, or professionals, or laborers, or anything in between. People like Gonzales are an important part of the fabric of our community. It’s only fitting that we open our hearts to her as she has opened her heart and home to her children.
All donations to help with the project are tax-deductible and may be sent to Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, 120 Girard St., Suite E, Durango, CO 81303, Attn.: Executive Director. Habitat holds Enterprise Zone status, so donations of more than $250 provide additional tax credits.
And if you’re one of those people who loves to make a donation go even further, on Dec. 10, donate to Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County through ColoradoGives.org for some specific matching opportunities.
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Enjoying every moment of this beautiful weather for their birthdays are Jane Mercer, Marilee White, Gayle Brown, Peeb Lupia, Germaine Rogers, Julie Arbaugh, Dawn Spaeder, Scott Southworth, Jenna Mulligan, Stella Welcher, Ali Beckstead, Karlaine Caudill, Warren Holland, Earl Caudill, Price Bryant, Landon Blalock, Lane Joseph, Wayne Kjonaas, Katarina Seibert, Sofia Walt, Charles Thames and Bonnie Flores.
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I seem to be on a theme here of helping neighbors build stronger futures.
Manna Soup Kitchen is on pace to serve 70,000 meals this year to our neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. Because the need has been growing steadily since the recession began, Manna’s board and staff members have decided to help clients build more secure futures by helping them learn marketable skills in the food and beverage industry.
They chose that industry after a long review of the classified “Help Wanted” ads in The Durango Herald. In a town that rivals San Francisco for number of restaurants per capita, it looked like a sure bet that there would be jobs in that field.
So Manna began the project of building a neighboring facility to house classrooms, a training kitchen, offices and meeting space.
On Oct. 19, the soup kitchen held a “Pave the Way” event at the Durango Discovery Museum as part of the capital campaign for the facility. More than 200 tickets were sold, and all attendees agreed it was a marvelous evening.
Cheryl Birchard decorated the tables, which were adorned with flowers courtesy of April Albert of Blossom. More than 20 restaurants donated food, including a cornucopia of appetizers and a plethora of utterly sinful desserts.
I’m really liking something that’s begun happening at capital campaign fundraisers. Businesses and individuals stand up and announce their donations. It shows that respected people and businesses are behind the project and are putting their money where their mouth is.
At this event, the donations came fast and furiously. Marc and Jane Katz donated a whopping $50,000, Jerry and Karen Zink and First National Bank of Durango kicked in $10,000, Alpine Bank and Yvette Tanner from Pasco anted up $5,000, and Joe Lloyd of Durango Joe’s is donating $2,000.
If you want to support the project but can’t write a check with that many zeros on it, Manna is also selling commemorative bricks to pave the path between the two buildings.
Manna also joined a number of local nonprofits in holding its annual silent auction online through www.biddingforgood.com.
All told, the evening raised about $20,000 beyond those big donations. And because the soup kitchen skipped its annual fall soup supper to hold this event for the capital campaign, a generous anonymous donor matched that amount for operating expenses. It’s the very definition of a win-win situation.
The capital campaign started with a gift of $550,000 from the Karrakin Foundation, and this really gets it going. With the gifts announced at the Discovery Museum, Manna Soup Kitchen has raised another $154,000, taking to more than $700,000 of the $950,000 goal.
Kathy Tonnessen, executive director of Manna, has written a number of grants to foundations that traditionally have been generous to the soup kitchen. Those gifts should be announced by the end of the year.
If you would like to donate for this new phase in Manna’s services, send your check to Manna Soup Kitchen, P.O. Box 1196, Durango, CO 81302.
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Nothing hits the spot for a late fall anniversary like hot spiced cider for Donald and Marilyn Baker, Ben and Donna Arriza, and Mike and Kay Thompson.
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