La Verne Rotary and Habitat for Humanity Show You’re Never Too Old to Play House for a Good Cause

September 29, 2010
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From left, Pastor Mother Kelli Grace, Robin Fordyce, Jody Gmeiner and Steve Johnson take a break from the sawdust and skill saws for a photo opp.

From left, Pastor Mother Kelli Grace, Robin Fordyce, Jody Gmeiner and Steve Johnson take a break from the sawdust and skill saws for a photo opp.

Around town, it’s hard not to notice the good works of the La Verne Rotary Club. Annually, its members present academic scholarships, musical scholarships, teacher mini-grants, Easter egg hunts, Thanksgiving food baskets, leadership conferences, and speech contests, not to mention, partnering every year with the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin to sponsor the North vs. South All Star Basketball game for high school boys and girls.

So, it was not surprising to see several of its members this past week at the Los Angeles County Fair covered in sawdust and driving skill saws across planks of cedar to help build playhouses for the Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity. About 20 fairgoers placed orders for one of the 6-by-6-foot playhouses, listed at $500. The sale proceeds will help Habitat continue its real mission of building, not playhouses, but real houses that are sold at no profit by Habitat and at no interest to families in need.

Last year on the fairgrounds, Habitat started construction on a 1,200-sq. foot house that was later moved to Glendora for final build-out.

One organization that seized the sponsorship opportunity to purchase supplies to help build the playhouses was the Hillcrest Retirement Community of La Verne headed by CEO and President Matthew Neeley, who is also a Rotarian. Not long after, Gmeiner and Neeley were recruiting other Rotarians to volunteer their time and labor.

From left, Robin and Sharon Fordyce, Steve Johnson and Pastor Mother Kelli Grace joined the La Verne Rotary's efforts to build play houses for Habitat for Humanity.

From left, Robin and Sharon Fordyce, Steve Johnson and Pastor Mother Kelli Grace of St. John's Episcopal Church joined the La Verne Rotary's efforts to build play houses for Habitat for Humanity.

“Because sponsorships pay for the materials and the labor is volunteered, the donations (playhouse sales) go to support Habitat for Humanity’s ongoing work,” Gmeiner said.

On Wednesday morning, Ben Jarvis, a printer by trade, served as job foreman, supervising the Rotarians, who behind their protective goggles didn’t look like the insurance agents, pastors and other white-collar callings that were their true professions.

Habitat for Humanity donated the first completed playhouse to Fairplex’s Child Development Center to be auctioned off at an upcoming fundraiser. Deliveries of the other playhouses will begin next week after the fair ends. Construction of the playhouses will also continue at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Montclair until all orders are filled.

For more information about Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity, please call (909) 596-7098 or visit its local office at 2111 Bonita Ave. in La Verne. Its ReStore is located at 4609 Holt Blvd in Montclair between Ramona and Monte Vista on the south side of the street. The telephone is (909) 399-0202.

For information about joining the La Verne Rotary, visit its website at www.lavernerotary.org.  Weekly meetings are held every Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Homes, 2705 Mountain View Drive in La Verne.

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Pastor Mother Kelli Grace of St. John's hangs with Ben Jarvis to pick up a few tricks of the carpentry trade.

Pastor Mother Kelli Grace of St. John's hangs with Ben Jarvis to pick up a few tricks of the carpentry trade.

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