Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV Honors Princess Cruises and WW II Vets at Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball
25 February 2017 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Fundraiser Helps to Complete Homes for Low
Income Veterans in Santa Clarita, CA
Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys honored
Princess Cruises and the Princess Cruises Community Foundation at
its annual Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball last night. Also honored
were seven surviving Santa Clarita veterans of World War II. The
funds raised at the event will be used to complete the remaining 24
homes of a 78-home neighborhood for low-income veterans in Santa
Clarita. The event took place at the Universal Sheraton Hotel in
Universal City, CA. The event, with 470 guests in attendance,
raised $291,000.
Princess received the Hammer of Hope Award from Congressman Brad
Sherman. The Hammer of Hope is this Habitat’s highest honor and is
presented to extraordinary individuals or entities who are leaders
in their fields and communities – specifically those who serve
veterans and low-income families seeking to enter the middle class.
Past recipients include Anheuser Busch, Home Depot, Citibank, Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, The Gas Company, Primestor, and many
others.
Accepting the award on behalf of Princess was its Vice President
of Public Relations, Brian O’Connor. Princess is a longtime sponsor
of Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV and a few weeks ago hosted a TEAM
Build at which Princess employees spent the day building veteran
homes.
WW II veterans being honored with a special tribute at the event
were Lou Brousseau (Army Air Corps), Cal Erickson (Army Air Corps),
Rex Gribble (Army Air Corps), Lloyd Lubensky (Army Air Corps),
Richard Roelofs (Navy), Lee Shulman (Army Air Corps), and Tom
Tucker (Navy). The award was presented by California State Assembly
Member Dante Acosta.
Completion of the veteran neighborhood in Santa Clarita will
bring Habitat’s total to over 400 homes to date. Next year, they
begin building 56 more Veteran homes in Palmdale and 12 Veteran
homes in North Hollywood. What makes this Habitat affiliate even
more special is their belief that, in order for families to truly
be successful, affordable housing must include a supportive
environment that encourages self-sufficiency in a neighborhood
culture. This program, called the Enriched Neighborhood® model,
provides no-cost programs such as financial training, health and
wellness programs, and social services that are easily accessible
in the neighborhoods where the families live. This allows their
families to become self-sufficient and learn skills and necessary
tools to move out of the endless cycle of poverty housing and into
the middle class. These programs are especially cherished by
returning veterans as they seek the comfort of others returning
from service and the strength to reintegrate successfully into
their community at home.
This year’s event was chaired by Karen Brown, Sr. Vice President
of First Bank, and hosted by actress Alison Haislip, sideline
commentator for ABC’s “Battlebots” and celebrated pop culture TV,
podcasting and webcasting personality. Other elected officials in
attendance were California State Senator Robert Hertzberg, Los
Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Santa Clarita Mayor Pro
Tem Laurene West, Los Angeles City Council Member Paul Krekorian,
and Santa Clarita City Council Members Bob Keller and Marsha
McLean.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a
global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 18 modern
cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of
choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided with
the experience of exceptional customer service. As world’s largest
international premium cruise brand, Princess carries two million
guests each year to more than 360 destinations around the globe on
more than 150 itineraries ranging in length from three to 114 days.
The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:
CCL; NYSE:CUK).
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available
through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS
(1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's website at
princess.com.
About Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV:
Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys’ mission
is to build affordable homes for low-income civilian and veteran
families, and provide services that empower them to build brighter
futures as homeowners. They are a locally run, independent,
501(c)(3) non-profit organization service North Los Angeles City
and County, building houses and futures for low-income families. We
currently specialize in building Enriched Neighborhood® communities
which hold the promise to move low-income families up into the
middle class and have built 320 homes to date. Learn more at
www.HumanityCA.org and follow Habitat SF/SCV on Facebook and
Twitter.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170225005007/en/
Habitat for Humanity SF/SCVLarry Deutchman,
818-522-6229larry.deutchman@gmail.com