Photos courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County.
VENTURA COUNTY — On Saturday, Nov. 7, about 150 volunteers and sponsors joined Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County at Bank of America’s Westlake Village campus to build 14 custom children’s playhouses at the fifth annual Playhouse Build Blitz. Each playhouse was designed around the interests of a local military family, and all 14 families arrived that afternoon to receive their finished playhouses. The event raised $45,000 for Habitat Ventura’s new construction and home repair programs.
Volunteer teams spent the day building, painting and decorating alongside Habitat Ventura staff and volunteer build leaders, who guided first-time volunteers through each step. Teams were matched with their families several weeks in advance and designed each playhouse around the children’s favorite things. Themes included friendly dinosaurs, under-the-sea scenes with sharks and sea turtles, farm animals, woodland creatures, jungle animals and a fantasy world of princesses, unicorns and fairies, along with gardens filled with butterflies, sunflowers and tulips. When the families arrived that afternoon, volunteers had the chance to meet them and present the playhouses, which were given at no cost. For many of the children, the playhouse was a complete surprise.
“These families have given so much to Ventura County, and today was about giving something back to their kids,” said Darcy Taylor, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County. “Every one of these 14 playhouses is here because a team of volunteers and sponsors chose to spend their Saturday building something special for a family they had never met.”
In all, 14 families with 22 children between 6 months and 7 years old received playhouses, including active-duty Navy families and the families of veterans. Among them was the Ward family of Port Hueneme. Heather Ward’s husband has served in the Navy for 18 months and is currently deployed overseas, while she cares for their three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, at home. Ward heard about the event because a personal connection worked with Habitat. Because the kids love to play house, the family asked for a playhouse that looked like a little cottage, and volunteers from RRM Design Group delivered a garden cottage built just for them.
“I don’t think people realize, and I definitely didn’t realize until we entered the military, how difficult it can be on military families, especially deployments,” Ward said. “These kids don’t get to see their dad six months out of the year, so they look forward to things like this. We’re just grateful that there are people out here willing to volunteer and spend their time, energy and money to help families like us.”
The Catterton family of Camarillo also received a playhouse. Kuulei Catterton’s husband has served on active duty in the Navy for 3½ years, and she learned about the event through a military spouse group on Facebook. Volunteers from Relaw APC built the family a garden playhouse decorated with pink tulips and monarch butterflies.
“I’m grateful that they take the time out of their day to volunteer, and that the donors put in money they don’t have to toward something that’s going to make lots of kids happy,” Catterton said. “It’s very honorable.”
Bank of America sponsored and built three of this year’s playhouses. Teams from Amazon OXR1, DMR Roofing, the Habitat to the Max Ministry of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, Micro Commercial Components, Relaw APC and RRM Design Group built the others, along with Habitat Ventura volunteers, who built two playhouses sponsored by Blois Construction, and students from the Newbury Park Habitat for Humanity club, who built a playhouse sponsored by the Port of Hueneme. Bank of America, Amazon OXR1, Blois Construction, DMR Roofing, Relaw APC and RRM Design Group all returned from last year’s event. The County of Ventura also supported the event as a sponsor.
“The annual Playhouse Build Blitz is always one of our favorite events to support and participate in. For the past five years this event has provided an opportunity for our teammates to build and decorate children’s playhouses for local military families, and for the Ventura community to come together and show our support for families of first responders and veterans at our Westlake campus,” said Midge Campbell-Thomas, president of Bank of America Ventura-Santa Barbara.
All proceeds from the Playhouse Build Blitz support Habitat Ventura’s new construction and critical home repair programs. Over the past 40 years, Habitat Ventura has built and sold 85 affordable homes and completed more than 400 critical health and safety repairs for local families, including veterans. Ventura County military and veteran families with young children who are interested in receiving a playhouse at a future Playhouse Build Blitz can join the waitlist by contacting Emily Aud, program coordinator, at emily.aud@habitatventura.org. Companies and groups interested in sponsoring a playhouse next year can contact Brittany Fabeck, development director, at brittany@habitatventura.org or 805-485-6065, ext. 103.
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Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County – Together, we build a better future. Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County is a locally run and locally funded affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. For more than 40 years, Habitat Ventura has partnered with individuals and families to build 85 homes and repair over 400, creating safe, stable places where people can thrive. Through our Home Repair Program, we work alongside homeowners to improve the safety, accessibility, and longevity of their homes. At Habitat Ventura, we believe that home is the foundation on which we build our lives and our communities. By working together, we’re creating a stronger, more connected Ventura County. Our homeownership program partners with families based on their need for housing, ability to afford a mortgage, and commitment to participating in the building process. Each Habitat homeowner invests hundreds of hours of sweat equity and purchases their home with an affordable mortgage – building not only their own future, but the future of our shared community. www.habitatventura.org | 805-485-6065
