MARCH 2023

March has been an impactful month full of celebration, laughter, change, and renewal. It’s National Women’s History Month and Habitat LA has honored powerful women making a change—staff, volunteers, board members, and donors. Learn more about our spring cleaning tips, upcoming build days, workshops, and ways to support Habitat LA below. 

Women’s History, President Carter & Habitat LA’s Celebration! 

The origin of Women’s History Month 

Did you know that Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in California? In 1978 the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women initially planned a “Women’s History Week” celebration. This kickstarted a movement and in February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, as National Women’s History Week. How incredible! Learn more about this historic moment and President Carter’s heartfelt dedication message here.  


In the spirit of sharing the amazing contributions of women in our own community, Habitat LA has turned the spotlight on stellar volunteer, Lisa Felix; Vice President of Programs, Dr. Dinesa Thomas-Whitman; Director of Construction, Bethy Cobabe; Chair of our Habitat LA Young Professionals group and Board member, Pearl Ho; and Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, Angy Smith.  

Habitat LA’s 5-Step Spring Cleaning Checklist 

Clear your space.  Clear your mind! 

Spring is here and it’s the perfect time for a reset—especially in your home! Cleaning the dust, dander and clutter not only clears your space, it also clears your mind. According to experts, decluttering helps you feel accomplished, more peaceful, and improves your focus! Read the full blog post to learn the 5 essential steps to get you started. READ MORE.

Habitat LA Remembers Faithful Volunteer, Clarence Fung 


Clarence Fung was a pillar of the HFH volunteer crew leader community! His knowledge, experience, and patience made him a valuable team member on our construction sites and with our volunteers. No job was too big or too small and he was always willing to pitch in where needed. He worked on everything from the Jimmy Carter Work Project in 2007 to helping lead the Sparkie Electrical Team to raising funding to support Habitat LA at his church, Rolling Hills United Methodist, to even just pitching in to clean and organize our jobsites. The HFH construction crew will greatly miss his presence on our builds and would like to send his family our love and support. His memory will live on in the homes of the families whose houses he built! 

Build a Child’s Playhouse this Spring! 

Organize a playhouse build day with Habitat LA 

As the flowers are blooming, it’s a great time to get outside and a custom Habitat LA playhouse is the perfect space for a child to call their own! Gather up a team of volunteers and organize a Playhouse Build Day with Habitat LA. Our Playhouse build program is flexible, mobile, and designed to be completed in as little as 7 hours. The best part is your playhouse build day can take place at a location that works best for your group. 


Playhouses are donated to Habitat LA partner families, Habitat LA ReStores, community partners who serve children or fellow local nonprofits that support veteran families. 


For more information, click here. If you have any questions, contact corporate@habitatla.org

Roll Up Your Sleeves! Join 40 Days of Building on Faith  

Register your faith community today!  

It’s the Lenten season and families in Los Angeles need your carpentry skills! From now until April 9th, Habitat LA is building faith, repairing homes, and sharing hope in the community. Lent ends April 6th right before Easter (Sunday, April 9th ). Gather your beloved faith community or congregation and get involved in the 40 Days of Building on Faith initiative. During Lent, you’ll also have a chance to serve in the Habitat ReStores, and assist with fundraising and advocating for Habitat LA.  

  • Projects available for all ages and groups of 5-40 
  • Donation and sponsorship opportunities start at $500 


Space is limited, so register today and receive your Lenten devotional calendar!


For more information, contact Chris Untiet, Director of Faith Relations at chrisu@habitatla.org. 

Building Change Through Health & Fitness! 

Habitat LA took on the 2023 LA Marathon 

Whether they were walking, jogging or running at full speed, our staff and volunteers were proud to represent Habitat LA at the 38th Los Angeles Marathon! This was Habitat LA’s first year back in the marathon since 2020! The run took place on March 19th with over 22,000 participants running from Dodger Stadium to the finish line at the Avenue of the Stars in Century City. Everyone who participated showed tremendous heart and dedication to accomplishing a personal goal as well as supporting a healthier world built on hope and empowerment!   


“As runners, we benefit enormously from the support we receive during training and especially on race day. In fact, most of us would admit that trying to do this without assistance would be close to impossible. I have run a few marathons and my goal now when I run is to use the experience gained from that to help runners get to that goal they are struggling to reach. That is the lens through which I would have us view the marathon. Extreme goals, hard work, personal challenge, and a community that leans in and is a part of getting it done together. The Habitat mission enormously raises the ante on that.” - Ben Benya, Habitat LA's Donor Stewardship Specialist. 


Thank you, Ben, Marina, Melinda, Jack, Chris, Rose, Ali, Anna, Nick and so many more for helping us raise $17,700 and supporting affordable housing with every step on the pavement! It’s not too late to join the movement, text RunHabi at 41444 and Donate Today

Make Tax Season a Time to Give Back 

Habitat LA donations & charitable gifts 

Tax season is here! Use this time to evaluate your charitable giving to Habitat LA. Whether you donated for the first time in 2022, or you’ve made consistent donations, your gift helps us to build affordable housing and serve our local community through much needed services, access to opportunities, and programs. All donations to Habitat LA are tax-deductible. Learn more about how you can make a gift and support us HERE


If you have questions, always confirm with your accountant, tax preparer, or refer to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and California Franchise Tax Board publications to confirm eligibility and filing requirements. 

Isabel Villas Is Evolving with the Help of Volunteers! 

See our latest update video below. 

Committed volunteers, staff and Habitat Young Professionals have supported the evolution of our current development in South LA --- Isabel Villas! For the latest report on our progress, we invite you to watch our Spring 2023 Site Update where you can see the exciting transformation of this once empty site into a community of 8 beautiful and affordable new homes!

Thank You to Our February 2023 Donors!

OUR MISSION
Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
OUR VISION
A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
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