Habitat for Humanity Blitz Showcases a Passion for Building and Community

It was the last day of the Habitat for Humanity Housing Blitz. Chris Hillenbrand, Project Manager of the house that Clark was building, took off his hard hat to pour out the sweat that had pooled inside it. Around him, his crew was busy putting the finishing touches to the 3-bed, 2-bath, two-story house they built from the ground up in a frenzied five days. The 80+ degree heat didn’t dampen their excitement. It was clear they were going to finish ahead of the competition (another house was being built by a competitor as part of the blitz). More importantly, the Clark crew couldn’t wait to finally turn over the house to a deserving family.

The generosity of Clark’s trade partners in San Diego, combined with the talent and time invested by the team, resulted in the on-schedule delivery of the 1,300-square-foot home in El Cajon, CA.

“This house means a lot of things for us,” says Angelica, the matriarch of the family that will move into the Clark house. “It will change our future and provide stability. My two girls will have their own room for the first time. We’re also expecting a baby boy in the fall, so I hope this will be our forever home.” Angelica’s partner Frank adds: “Thank you to Habitat and to Clark Construction for all their hard work and for turning our dreams into reality. It’s something that we never would have thought possible.”

For Habitat for Humanity, the blitz is a chance to shine a light on a pressing issue: “It’s an opportunity for us to talk to the community about the importance of housing and how difficult it is for families to own a home on their own earning $50K to 80K a year,” said Lori Holt Pfeiler, the CEO of San Diego Habitat for Humanity. “We are very grateful for Clark...they brought everyone together to understand what the mission is: working to support families.”

This is the second time that Clark has participated in the San Diego Habitat for Humanity Home Builder’s Blitz. The goal is to build the homes at zero cost to Habitat by leveraging relationships to obtain donations of materials and labor. Carefully selected partner families are given the opportunity to purchase the home with a 0% interest mortgage and must put in 500 volunteer hours at a habitat project.

“We recognized the need so we mobilized and we executed,” said Kevin Wang, Project Engineer and one of the Clark volunteers who worked tirelessly at the blitz. “We treated this home as if it was our own, securing each nail with extra care. I’m proud of how we came together for this project.”