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November, 2015 - In This Issue
Members from the local Madera Star 399 Chapter "Sierra Riders", a motorcycling riding organization promoting camaraderie and riding, donated Thanksgiving food baskets to two deserving families who reside at the Parksdale Village I and Parksdale Village II apartment rental communities in Madera.

The Thanksgiving meals included turkeys, fixings for stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables. The families were able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to this generous donation.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Self-Help Enterprises offers an exciting work environment where you can bring your high caliber skills to a true career opportunity and impact the world around you.

We have an opening for a  Real Estate Development Project Manager responsible for working on affordable housing development projects throughout Self-Help Enterprises' eight county service territory.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD
Paul Boyer, Self-Help Enterprises' Community Development Program Director, was recognized with the Dennis Wallace Community Leadership Award at the 4th Annual San Joaquin Valley Affordable Housing Summit.

This year marked the inaugural year for the Dennis Wallace Community Leadership Award, in memory of former San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative Board Member and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Golden Empire, Dennis Wallace who passed away in October 2014.

The award was presented to Paul by San Joaquin Housing Collaborative Board Member Claudia Cazares. Over the last 38 years, Paul has had a hand in assisting more than 60 disadvantaged, rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley with securing funding for over 70 water and sewer projects.

Congratulations, Paul!
SHOP & DONATE
With the holidays approaching, you may be thinking of doing some holiday shopping online.

This year and all year round, you can shop with AmazonSmile and support Self-Help Enterprises. When you shop on Amazon using this link, you'll find the exact same prices and selection as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to our organization.

We hope you'll bookmark the link and share it with your friends and family. We appreciate your support of our mission to work together with low-income families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities.

REPORTING ON SUCCESSES
The National Rural Housing Coalition held a briefing on Capitol Hill to present its new report, "The Mutual Self-Help Housing Program: Reflecting on 50 Years of Success". The report documents the outcomes of the program, which assists  low-income families build sweat equity to secure new affordable and decent housing. The full report can be found here.

In non-metropolitan communities, where rental housing is often difficult to secure due to lower incomes and access to affordable credit options,  self-help housing is creating homeownership opportunities for those who need it the most. Since the USDA Section 523 Mutual Self-Help Program was implemented 50 years ago, the program has worked by teaming up families who work together to build one another's homes, meeting the size and structural needs of the individual family.

Self-Help Enterprises' CEO Tom Collishaw, along with several rural housing experts, testified on the success and need of the self-help housing program. Congressman David Valadao and a staff member from Congressman Devin Nunes' office also attended the briefing in support of affordable housing.
DONATION TO ASSIST DROUGHT-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES
The California Drought Relief Fund, which was launched on August 26, 2015, announced its first grants to help families and communities impacted by the state's unprecedented drought and dangerous wildfires. The funds, totalling more than $140,000, are being distributed to three relief organizations: Self-Help Enterprises, the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW) and the California Fire Foundation (CFF). Self-Help Enterprises and EJCW will help families whose wells have run dry in the San Joaquin and Salinas Valleys. The CFF supports firefighters and operates the SAVE program, which helps first responders distribute immediate cash relief to wildfire victims.
 
The donation to Self-Help Enterprises will help fund drought relief work such as emergency water assistance, providing water tanks for homes and communities, household hookups to municipal water mains, and household water well project match funding. These are crucial as there are gaps where public funding is unable to meet the need.
 
The California Drought Relief Fund will accept contributions through the end of 2015. Visit www.droughtrelief.org to learn more and make a contribution.

BIOLA VILLAGE FALL CELEBRATION

Residents of Biola Village had an opportunity to enjoy a fall themed celebration hosted by Self-Help Enterprises and Always With Integrity (AWI), our property management company. This celebration was not only a chance to celebrate the new season but to show appreciation towards the residents of  Biola Village.

The goal of the event was to engage the residents by getting people out of their homes and into a place where they could socialize and interact as a community. Nearly 200 residents enjoyed a fun-filled night with live entertainment by a mariachi, free food, and games for their children. Activities for the children included face painting, corn hole, train rides, and a clown.
 
Van Pool was on hand and presented information to the residents about alternative transportation. Community service officer Anthony Robles, Fresno County Sheriffs, and the Community Services District Manager, Dwight Miller, along with board members were also out at the event socializing and getting to know the residents.

The night was a success and the residents enjoyed the activities and the community spirit!
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8445 W. Elowin Court, Visalia, CA 93291		 All Rights Reserved.
559.651.1000