A Day at Habitat

Kand I spent the day working on a home repair with Habitat for Humanity in Arroyo Viejo / Eastmont. While I have a lot more experience and comfort doing such things, K gamely joined me in working on installing a new roof for a lovely (but no nonsense) 80 year-old woman. I'd forgotten how much more tiring working on a roof is. Just standing takes more energy than it does on flat ground, and add in the extra heat, the bending and squatting, and I'll definitely be feeling this tomorrow. But it was hella fun, and it was great to be helping someone.

Kat on a hot tar roof

Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity

Last week was the 30th annual Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity. I volunteered all 5 days, and after a weekend of mostly resting, I'm still tired. I've been more tired before, and I've been more dirty, but wowza, this is the most cumulative tiredness I can remember. And that's after numerous years of mission trips to Mexico and Habitat build-a-thons.

But it was a for a great cause, and hundreds of people in Oakland and thousands across the U.S. got together during the week to help build decent, affordable homes for people or repair the homes they already have so they can afford to stay in them. Thanks to everyone who came out to work, whether for one day or more, and to everyone who donated to help make it happen!

We now return to our irregularly scheduled working and posting. And some more resting.
Lots more pictures from the week:

Day 1 of the Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity

Today was the first day of the Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Oakland. This is the 30th year the Carters have been working with Habitat for Humanity. I haven't even hit 20 years yet, so their dedication to Habitat and to other projects to improve people's lives around the world is inspiring. And President Carter just turned 89 years old, so it's all the more impressive.

As you might have noticed in the picture above, I got a little dirty during today's work day. The house we're working on is between Edes and 98th Avenue, and we're tearing off the very old roof and putting on a new one. We made great progress on Ramona's house today, but it was dirty work. There are 12 new houses near the East Oakland Sports Center, plus home repairs on 8 houses nearby and a bit further afield.

The Carters will be in the South Bay tomorrow, then off to Denver, New York and New Jersey for the rest of the week. Highlights today included hearing the Carters speak again (they spoke at the opening reception at the Paramount Theatre last night), getting our house crew photo taken with them, and getting served dessert by Garth Brooks. I heard Rep. Barbara Lee was there, too, but I didn't see her.

I'll be at the project all week, so posts will be lighter this week, depending on how tired I am at the end of each day.

sponsor me: help create and maintain affordable housing in Oakland

2008 Carter Work Project in Mississippi

Each year since 1984, former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn have given a week or more of their time to help Habitat for Humanity build and maintain affordable housing in the U.S. and around the world. I'm fortunate to have taken part in the 25th annual 2008 Carter Work Project (CWP) along the Gulf Coast, and I get to take part in this year's 30th annual CWP in the SF Bay Area.

It's not just building new housing. Some people will be working to repair and do needed maintenance on homes in East Oakland, as part of Habitat's foreclosure-prevention strategy, while others will be doing community projects like deconstructing an abandoned building in William "Bill" Patterson Park in Brookfield Village. Even more projects will be going on in San Jose. I've been volunteering with Habitat since 1995, and I'll probably be helping lead a crew on one of the repair houses.

But the CWP isn't just about building and repairing affordable housing, it's also a fundraiser to help with future projects. As part of my participation, I need to raise money, and that's where you come in. You can either donate through my FirstGiving.com page, or donate via check to Habitat for Humanity East Bay / Silicon Valley. Habitat is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and all contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Thank you for your support! Read more about the Carter Work Project at Habitat for Humanity East Bay / Silicon Valley.

not quite thirds

In photography and other visual arts, there's the well-known "rule" of thirds, which says one of the best ways to compose an image is by putting important things along imaginary lines at 1/3 and 2/3 vertically and horizontally. For example, if you shoot a sunset, place the horizon at 1/3 from the bottom to emphasize the sky, or 1/3 from the top to emphasize the foreground. There are plenty of times to break the rule, such as if you have something reflecting off water, in which case putting the horizon at the middle is sometimes the best.

In any event, I had it firmly in mind when I shot this image this morning at the Habitat for Humanity work site in East Oakland. I did my best to line things up visually, and unlike a lot of my images that I crop or otherwise tweak, this is "straight out of the camera":

It's not a perfect application of the rule, but I was pleased with the result, especially since it's completely unmodified. For those who are curious, the razor wire and wall are for an adjacent business. The wooden structure below are "corrals" for the future homeowners' trash and recycling bins. They'll have matching doors on the front to hide the bins when not being used.

Habitat for Humanity Build-a-thon

2011 Build-a-thon

Saturday through Tuesday was Habitat for Humanity East Bay's annual Earth Day Build-a-thon. Hundreds of volunteers came together to frame 7 houses for deserving families at the second part of the Kinsell Commons project at Tassafaronga Village in the Woodland neighborhood.

I'm still tired after four long, physically demanding days, but it's a good tired. Read and see more photos at the Habitat East Bay Thrivent Builds blog. Also check out the nice video on Oakland North.

Many thanks to all who donated to support Habitat. Over $100,000 was raised to help build more affordable, green housing.

new Habitat homes beginning

cutting roof sheathing

Guess where I spent today? If you guessed across the street from the new East Oakland library, you're right! I spent the day at the Habitat for Humanity worksite which will be the site of the 2011 build-a-thon (it's not too late to sponsor me! Many thanks to those who already have.) It's literally across 81st Ave. from the new library and the two adjacent schools. I helped put the roof sheathing on the first house being built. Before each build-a-thon, we frame one model house, to try to work out any problems ahead of time. And yes, it was hot, or at least felt that way to me. Certainly not August/September heat, but plenty warm with the sun reflecting back up off the OSB we were nailing down. Between that and the ride home, I'm too wiped to head to to this month's Art Murmur, alas.

support Habitat for Humanity!

2010 build-a-thon

As you probably know, I'm a long-time volunteer and supporter of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat East Bay (HEB) is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which is working to eliminate poverty housing world-wide, one house at a time. Habitat houses are simple, decent, and affordable to low-income families around the world. Part of how HEB supports Habitat world-wide is by tithing -- at least 10% of the funds raised support Habitat's mission in other countries. Currently HEB is supporting affiliates in Afghanistan, Tanzania and El Salvador.

There are a variety of ways to support Habitat East Bay, centered around volunteering and/or donating. Coming up is a unique way to do both -- HEB's annual Earth Day build-a-thon. It's a four day event, HEB's biggest fundraiser and building event of the year. In four days we'll be framing 7 houses, from the foundation up to the roof. Like a walk-a-thon, participants raise funds, in this case to help pay for the lumber and nails used in framing the houses. It's a somewhat crazy event, but a lot of fun. If you're interested in participating, read more about it on HEB's build-a-thon page.

If you don't feel up to participating in the build-a-thon, you can sponsor me! I'm trying to raise $250 for each of the 4 days, and I'm halfway there. Donations to HEB are tax deductible as allowed by law, and donations of any size are welcomed. If you'd rather not have some eaten up by credit card fees, et al, you can write a check to Habitat for Humanity East Bay and I'll deliver it personally.

You can also donate or volunteer during the rest of the year, when there's no fundraising requirement. The building pace is a lot more laid back, and it's a great opportunity to learn some handy skills. I've been at it a while, but I learned enough and gained enough confidence to design and build a small addition to our house. No guarantee you'll come away ready for that, but you will learn some handy skills, work with some great people, and help build affordable housing for a family here in Oakland. And if construction isn't your thing, help is needed in the office and on various committees, too. Support Habitat for Humanity, and make Oakland, the East Bay and the world a little better.

Habitat dedication at Tassafaronga

Kinsell Commons

Families, friends, volunteers and government leaders gathered on Saturday at Kinsell Commons in Tassafaronga Village to dedicate 14 new Habitat for Humanity homes.

There were a number of speakers, including Habitat East Bay CEO Janice Jensen, board chair David Barron, Oakland Housing Authority Executive Director Eric Johnson, Oakland mayor Jean Quan, Oakland council member Larry Reid and state Senator Loni Hancock. All of them spoke about the improvements in the area, not just the new Habitat homes, but the surrounding affordable apartments, nearby schools and the brand-new East Oakland library. The public housing project that used to be where the Tassaforanga development now stands was in terrible shape, and a magnet for crime. Now there are clean, comfortable apartments and homes.

Mayor Jean Quan

Mayor Quan spoke briefly (she was headed next for her townhall meeting in Havenscourt), but long enough to get some digs in about former mayor and now California governor Jerry Brown, and about the continuing need for redevelopment funds -- Jerry is currently trying to end redevelopment agencies in California. Some redevelopment projects are bad, but there's no arguing that redevelopment has helped Oakland, in particular East Oakland. Read about the potential impact on Habitat for Humanity.

Regardless of how you feel about redevelopment, this area of East Oakland is getting better. Tammerlin Drummond wrote about Deep East Oakland rising in January. Habitat for Humanity East Bay has been working to help make Oakland (and the entire East Bay) better for over 20 years, and I've been volunteering with them for 15 of those, mostly in East Oakland. Besides Kinsell Commons (14+8 homes), there are Habitat developments on Edes Avenue (54 homes) and 105th Avenue (40 homes) as well as several smaller developments and rehabs. I've watched some of the ups and downs of the area over the years, and it is slowly improving.

Habitat builds affordable home ownership opportunities and communities, both here in Oakland and around the world. Habitat sells homes at cost to qualifying families. In lieu of a down payment, the family is required to put in 500 hours of "sweat equity" helping build their home and those of their neighbors. To keep things affordable, they get interest-free loans based on their income. (To make sure the houses stay affordable, Habitat gets first right to buy back a home if a family needs to sell.) And to help make this all work, Habitat uses a lot of volunteers, both on the worksite and in the office to make it all come together. The resulting homes are green, with green design features to keep the environmental impact and energy usage low. (Thanks to PG&E and Grid Alternatives for the solar PV systems.) And to help families make it as first-time homeowners, Habitat builds communities, involving homeowners and making sure they get to know their neighbors before their homes are even built.

happy new homeowners

Check out the great coverage (including video) at Oakland North. For more pictures and coverage, check out the Habitat East Bay / Thrivent Builds blog.

Additional pictures at Habitat East Bay's Facebook page.

fall color, Oakland-style

fall color

Ispotted this bit of fall color as I was leaving the Habitat for Humanity site in the Woodland neighborhood, near Tassafaronga Rec Center.

Earth Day 2010

Earth

Happy 40th Earth Day! I spent the last 4 days at the Habitat for Humanity Earth Day Build-a-thon (day 1, 2, 3, 4). We framed 10 houses in 4 days, going from foundation to roof trusses, even with some rain on Tuesday morning. Habitat East Bay has been using green building techniques for years and continues to refine them.

Habitat for Humanity Build-a-thon

Oakland North has coverage of what Oaklanders have been up to in order to celebrate Earth Day and make Oakland a better place.

The Oakland Tribune writes about the improvements to Bay Area air, water and land quality in the last 40 years and the challenges that lie ahead. There's also a great article about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle for free by using sites like Freecycle. The article includes a list of other sites for borrowing and other ways to reduce the amount of stuff we buy.

lots of goats!

Finally, we have a great green solution for reducing the flammable undergrowth on Oakland hillsides. I took this picture while riding home today, and the goats clearly love their work. You can hear them happily munching away over the car noise from highway 24. Read more at Today in Montclair (though right now the goats are in Hiller Highlands.)

Habitat Build-A-Thon 2010

I'll be participating in Habitat for Humanity East Bay's annual Earth Day build-a-thon. It's not just a blitz build to kick start the construction of homes for deserving families, it's also Habitat East Bay's biggest fundraiser. Any amount you can contribute is appreciated! Or if you want to participate, check out the build-a-thon page.