Union Bank continues partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties, Inc., for the production, preservation and protection of affordable housing.

VISALIA (Nov 4, 2021) —Union Bank recently awarded Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties a $5,000 grant supporting affordable housing production in the City of Hanford.

Since 1994, Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties has partnered with the local community to help provide hard-working, low-income families with first-time homeownership opportunities through the Homeownership Program. Qualified families contribute “sweat-equity” hours by assisting volunteers and staff with the construction of their home, leading to the purchase of the home through an affordable Habitat mortgage. Habitat also provides low-cost, critical home repairs and rehab assistance to low-income homeowners throughout Tulare and Kings Counties.

Homeowner payments, generous financial and in-kind contributions from community partners such as Union Bank, enable Habitat to continue investing in affordable home production, preservation and protection to ensure local families have safe and affordable housing opportunities so they can build strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Bank of the Sierra continues partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties, Inc., with a $10,000 grant.

VISALIA (Oct. 26, 2021) — Bank of the Sierra recently renewed its long-standing partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties with a $10,000 Sierra Grant to support the nonprofit housing organization’s efforts. Since 2004, Bank of the Sierra has supported Habitat for Humanity in assisting families in communities throughout Tulare and Kings Counties.

In late 2021, Habitat for Humanity will begin construction on a new home in the City of Visalia thanks to the support from Bank of the Sierra, project sponsor RE/MAX Visalia and other community partners. This house marks the 69^th family that Habitat has assisted in helping become first-time homeowners since its founding in 1994. This family, a hard-working mother and 2 boys, is grateful for the support from community partners in helping them fulfill a need for a safer and more stable living situation. They are ready to roll up their sleeves and swing hammers!

Through the Homeownership Program, Habitat is able to help hard-working families become first-time homeowners. Qualified family-partners contribute “sweat-equity” hours in assisting volunteers and staff with the construction of their home, leading to a purchase of the home via an affordable Habitat mortgage. Homeowner mortgage payments and generous financial contributions from the community enable Habitat to provide affordable housing opportunities and help families build strength, stability, and self-reliance.

For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s programs and ways to get involved, call 559-734-4040 or email info@hfhtkc.org.

The Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Hughes as the new Executive Director, following the retirement of Dirk Holkeboer who had headed the local nonprofit organization for the past seven years.  Mr. Hughes brings a wealth of experience in the business and nonprofit world to the job.  He worked in the financial and credit union industry for over 30 years, starting his career in Ohio where he was President/CEO of several credit union and savings institutions, and then moved to California in 2007 to become the President/CEO of Finance and Thrift in Porterville.  It was in this position, the Mr. Hughes maintained profitable operations throughout the economic downtown and earned a Community Development Financial Institution designation and Minority Deposit Institution Certification from the US Treasury.  He adapted a business model to effectively serve low income and Spanish speaking communities, hired and developed an outstanding management team and staff, modernized the Branch Network, remodeling eight facilities ahead of schedule and under budget, and successfully completed a series of mergers.

After leaving the banking world, Mr. Hughes turned to a new career in the nonprofit world. In 2018, he was a Leader for the AmeriCorps Statewide Volunteer Infrastructure Project through the Napa County Office of Education.  He earned a certificate in non-profit leadership from OneOC and graduated from Excellence in Leadership Program from the Center for Nonprofit and Volunteer Leadership. He also volunteered for over 80 hours at Valley of the Moon Children’s Center in direct service and exceeded fund raising goals by more than double.

Mr. Hughes became the Executive Director of Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action in 2019 where he recruited and trained several hundred volunteers where historically there were no volunteers, trained the entire management team in fundraising, collected over 80,000 pounds in donated food for the food bank, obtained grants for infrastructure improvements, and earned Pathways to Excellence Implementer Certification.

During the last several years, Mr. Hughes has also been a bank consultant, developing business plans, policies and procedures for three startup financial organizations.

Mr. Hughes will be beginning his new position with Habitat for Humanity on September 16, 2021.  He resides in Springville with his wife, Kathy.

The Board of Directors is also pleased to announce the appointment of Deanna Saldana to the position of Associate Executive Director. Ms. Saldana is currently the Resource Development Director for Habitat and for the last two months has been serving as the Acting Executive Director during the recruitment and selection process.  She has been a member of the organization’s staff for fourteen years and is certainly a well-known face of Habitat for Humanity in the community.

Habitat for Humanity’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live and the mission of the local Habitat affiliate seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope. For more information about volunteer and donation opportunities, please call 559- 734-4040.

One June 30th, the day of Dirk’s retirement, more than 70 friends, family & co-workers, present and past, met at the Wyndham Hotel to celebrate a 33-year career in support of affordable housing. Check out Dirk’s timeline below.

• Left an 8-year career as a lawyer in a 200-staff law firm, making good money, to join Habitat as a volunteer for $25 weekly gift cards to the Piggly Wiggly.
• Lived in Kalamazoo Michigan and in 1986, joined a volunteer team installing drywall on the ceiling where he spent 3+ days sanding drywall joints. During that time he was gifted a book by Millard Fuller (the founder of Habitat for Humanity) “Love in the mortar joints”. Reading this book was one of the reasons Dirk chose to work for Habitat for Humanity.
• He landed in Americus, Georgia in 1988 where he took a job as volunteer public relations manager for the “House Raising Walk” from Portland Maine to Atlanta Georgia. Being the 12^th Anniversary of Habitat the walk was 1200 miles to raise $1.2 million to build 120 houses in 12 weeks.
• He joined the Habitat US Office where he was responsible for 4 out of 8 regions.
• In 1989, he met Jimmy and Rosalind Carter in Plains Georgia prior to working on the Milwaukee Jimmy Carter Work Project. Dirk worked on 3 other Jimmy Carter Work Projects including the week-long 1990 Tijuana/San Diego project where they build 100 houses in Tijuana and 8 houses in San Diego. Part of Dirk’s job description was doing “Advance Work” with the Secret Service.
• Miami Habitat hired Dirk as their 1^st Executive Director in 1990 where he helped plan the Miami Jimmy Carter Work Project and build 14 houses.
• A date that will always remain in Dirk’s memory…August 24^th, 1992, Category 5 Hurricane Andrew arrived in Miami, creating massive devastation, including sheering off half of the roof on Dirk’s house. At the time Habitat Miami had 16 Habitat homes…and they all survived the hurricane.
• The Habitat Miami staff went from 3 to 13 overnight and they spent 3 years rebuilding and expanding.
• Dirk returned to his home state of Michigan in 1995 and visited the Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity. He was later hired as their 1^st Executive Director, moving back to Holland Michigan where he worked for 7 years.
• As part of HFHI, Dirk helped start the Executive Directors Advisory Council for leaders to meet and discuss affordable housing needs. Dirk remembers standing in the lobby of the hotel during the Habitat conference in Indianapolis, surrounded by Habitat staff from around the world, on September 11^th, 2001.
• In October 2001, during another Executive Directors Advisory Council in Americus Georgia, Dirk met a certain brunette Executive Director from Habitat for Humanity Visalia. Dirk and Betsy had a long-distance romance until Dirk left Holland Michigan in 2002.
• He joined Habitat for Humanity International’s Affiliate Support Center where he worked for 3 years, traveling the United States western region.
• He met Peter Carey from Self-Help Enterprises and joined the staff in December 2005, where he ran the Home-Ownership Program for 8.5 years.
• Dirk came back to Habitat in 2014 as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties.

The start of every Habitat build project is special, and the morning of April 20th was very special. More than 40 members of the RE/MAX Visalia team joined Habitat staff and board members to break ground on a new project at 320 N.W. 1st street.

“RE/MAX Visalia is proud to have served the Tulare County real estate marketplace for 25 years. In celebration of this milestone, RE/MAX Visalia is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build a home in Visalia alongside a low-income family. The home will be completed with the sweat of the agents of RE/MAX on site working with the selected homeowner. Additionally, contractors and industry businesses are encouraged to JOIN IN with contributions of money, materials and labor,” said Ed Evans.

RE/MAX is donating the lot at NW 1^st Avenue and Pearl Street and raising CASH and contractor support to fund the project. Donation levels include: Craftsman Sponsor ($550), Foundation Builder ($1,500), Wall Raiser ($2,500), Roof Raiser ($5,000), Community Builder ($10,000), Master Home Builder ($25,000).

“Building homes is just part of our mission here at Habitat”, said Resource Development Director Deanna Saldana. “Building community is a key component to Habitat’s homeownership program and the families we serve. Working with the team at RE/MAX Visalia and other businesses in Tulare County brings people together to raise walls while helping a family build strength, stability and self-reliance. Affordable housing is so important to our community, and this effort gives us all an opportunity to make a real difference.” Work-bee days will be organized through the year as this home is built for a special Visalia family.

Ed Evans, Broker and Owner of RE/MAX Visalia added that “this is our way to give back to the community. We have been blessed with so much business and this is just a token of our appreciation.”

Special thank you to Rob Smith at Smith Promotions for sponsoring the t-shirts. Check out all the great pictures from the groundbreaking. 

Wall Raiser Sponsors $2500: The Discover Team, Rock ‘n’ Real Estate, Primary Residential Mortgage, D.R. Horton, Alisa Saterlee & Associates.

Foundation Builders $1500: Maria Helm

Craftsman Sponsors $550: Josephy Nguyen, Property ID, Hagin Realty.