Courtesy photos. See more photos below.
More than 150 volunteers gathered to create custom playhouses for Military and Veteran families
VENTURA — More than 150 volunteers and community partners gathered to honor Veterans at Bank of America’s Corporate Office for Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County’s Fourth Annual Playhouse Build Blitz, presented by Bank of America. Teams of volunteers worked side by side for 5+ hours painting and decorating children’s playhouses, each tailored to the interests of a local military family. By the afternoon, families arrived to receive their new playhouses, complete with themes ranging from dinosaurs and gardens to princess castles. In all, 18 families and their children experienced the joy of receiving a playhouse built just for them.
Among the recipients were Jesslin and Andrew Ortega, both U.S. Army veterans, who attended with their 4- year-old twins and 5-month-old baby. Their playhouse, decorated with a cheerful “Dinosaur & Garden” theme, was lovingly built by volunteers from Amazon OXR1, who had an opportunity to thank the family for their service. “Families should sign up; they’ll get to create lifelong memories in their new playhouse. I’m so impressed with all the playhouses; they took so much time and effort. Ours is beautiful,” said the Ortega Family.
Also featured was the Whiting family from Oxnard. U.S. Navy veteran Christian Whiting and his wife, Sierra, watched their 4-year-old daughter, Zoe, light up as she received a pink “Princess” playhouse, built by volunteers from the Trade Desk, a perfect gift for their growing family with another baby on the way. For many of the families, the playhouses were a welcome surprise to the children, and their reactions were worth the hours of hard work. “It’s deeply moving to us, and we are so appreciative of every effort that has gone into this. It feels amazing. We’re anticipating years of enjoyment for our daughter out of this. We hope that others take advantage of this program,” said the Whiting Family.
“We started this four years ago; we weren’t sure how this was going to turn out, but it has just been an amazing project,”said Darcy Taylor, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County. “What we’re doing today is being able to give a child a playhouse, and what makes it special is all the sponsors and people that support this and provide these houses for our military families.”
Held on Saturday, November 1st , in Westlake Village, the event united volunteers and sponsors from across the region, including Bank of America, Amazon OXR1, BG Law, Blois Construction, DMR Roofing, Kathyjo McCloskey-Rushing, Lifetech Resources, Relaw APC, RRM Design Group, The Trade Desk, Ventura County Leadership Academy Cohort 30, and Wesley Thomas General Contractor. Justin at DJ JAS Productions also donated his DJing services, setting a lively, energizing atmosphere that elevated the Playhouse Build Blitz experience.
“We know that having a home and a safe place makes our community stronger, and what a great way to start, with young children getting to have a playhouse in their yard,”said Midge Campbell-Thomas, President, Bank of America Ventura-Santa Barbara. “It brings me great joy to be here today. I love when the families come and we get to see the smiles on the faces of the children.”
Why It Matters:
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More than 100 veterans in Ventura County experience homelessness each year. 7% of Ventura County’s Homeless population are Veterans. (Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance 2024 Ventura County Homeless Point in Time Count)
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Veterans make up about 8% of Ventura County’s adult population. More than half are over 65 and 28% live with a disability. (City of Ventura 2022 Housing Element, American Community Survey (ACS) 2015-2019)
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Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County has built 77 homes and completed more than 350 critical home repairs, helping local families—including veterans—achieve safe, stable housing.
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The Annual Playhouse Build Blitz raises critical funding to support Habitat Ventura’s homebuilding and repair programs for low-income families, including those who have served.
Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County – Building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County is a locally run and locally funded affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Over the past 40 years, 77 new home builds have provided homeownership opportunities for families in need, and hundreds of homes have been repaired, providing a safe, decent living environment for low-income homeowners. The Habitat Home Repair program partners with low-income homeowners to improve their living conditions through home repairs. At Habitat for Humanity, we believe that everyone, everywhere, deserves a decent place to live. For Habitat’s new home program, low-income families are selected based on their need for housing, ability to repay an affordable mortgage, and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity. We offer a “hand up,” empowering families who are willing to work hard to achieve their dream of homeownership. Each Habitat for Humanity homeowner invests hundreds of hours in helping build their home and then purchases it with an affordable mortgage. www.habitatventura.org | 805-485-6065
