Nevada County Habitat Celebrates the Incredible Generosity of Our Supporters!
Nevada County Habitat for Humanity would like to express our profound gratitude to the local community for their overwhelming support of our annual fundraiser, Street of Dreams. On September 28, 2023, over 250 people came together at the Grass Valley Veteran’s Memorial Building in support of building safe, decent, and affordable Habitat homes. This year with the help of sponsors, donors, and attendees at Street of Dreams, NCHFH successfully raised more than $100,000!
Proceeds raised at Street of Dreams are applied directly to our home construction projects. NCHFH has completed 44 affordable homes and recently begun the construction of their 45th home in Grass Valley, CA for local resident, Angela, a mother of three. She is elated that she will no longer have to move from rental to rental because of rising housing costs. “Thanks to Habitat we will have a permanent, affordable home. Words cannot express my gratitude. Everyone [at Street of Dreams] is changing our lives through their generosity here today, thank you,” says Angela, future Habitat homeowner.
Funds from this year’s event will also support the start of development for another Habitat home for local resident, Angel, and his three children. Angel is looking forward to helping with the construction of his and Angela’s home. “Angel is a hard worker, and we are so grateful to have his support at this event. It’s moving to see Angel’s employers and his homeowner support partners supporting his efforts to become a Habitat homeowner. People across the board care about the success of everyone in our community,” says Jennifer Cordova, Development Director.
Affordable homeownership opportunities in Nevada County are scarce for households at 80% Area Median Income and below. NCHFH seeks to change this by creating more Habitat homes for working households that are struggling with housing stability and affordability. “This generous community never ceases to amaze me. The heroic act of kindness shown by everyone involved at Street of Dreams this year was tremendous. Construction costs continue to rise, but this level of support will help us build more despite that reality,” says Lorraine Larson, Executive Director.
This year 21 businesses committed to supporting affordable Habitat housing through event sponsorship and over 100 individuals and local businesses donated items to the Street of Dreams auction. Street of Dreams is a tremendous effort, and it could not have been accomplished without the 67 volunteers who donated a total of 430 hours to support the event. “Executing an event at this scale with a small team like ours is only possible with the help of our board of directors, volunteers, and sponsors. Thank you to everyone who comes back year after year to help plan, solicit auction items, volunteer during the event, and help to raise awareness about Habitat,” says Jennifer Cordova.
NCHFH would like to extend a very special thank you to Evelyn Naake and Mary Sperlazza who year after year lead the effort to make our auction a big success. NCHFH was excited and grateful to have volunteer support from members of our local Rotary groups, Mr. David Pistone and his students from Mount Saint Mary’s, and active-duty members from Beale Air Force Base. The organization is moved and grateful for the continued support of its longstanding sponsors which included local businesses like Owen’s Estate & Wealth Strategies Group, B&C Hardware, Coldwell Banker Grass Roots Realty, El Dorado Savings Bank, Nevada County Association of Realtors, Holt of California, Hand Plumbing, River Valley Community Bank, Grocery Outlet, and longtime supporters Bill and Melinda Litchfield. To see a full list of the Street of Dreams 2023 sponsors please visit nchabitat.org. “When you’re looking for a local service or product, please choose the businesses that support the causes you care about and are making affordable homeownership a reality,” states Lorraine Larson.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Street of Dreams this year, your support and effort permanently changed the lives of two families in our community. “You’re not only changing my life,” Angela said, “but you’re also improving the lives of my children and future generations, so thank you.” To donate or volunteer with Nevada County Habitat for Humanity please visit www.nchabitat.org.
NCHFH was organized in 1995 to address the growing and recognized need for affordable housing in Nevada County. Habitat is committed to achieving the mission of providing safe and decent affordable homes to local residents. To date, NCHFH has completed 44 homes across Nevada County providing affordable homeownership for 66 adults and 134 children.
Scroll to see event photos, volunteers, sponsors, and donors below:
