Good things come in threes—and The Agency’s most recent build day series certainly did. In partnership with Giveback Homes and Habitat for Humanity, our L.A. agent community came together to build homes for families in Long Beach. The busy group completed priming and painting two homes, part of a ten-home affordable housing development in Long Beach’s Washington neighborhood. Hundreds of hard-working families have applied to purchase these homes, many being local teachers, single parents, veterans, or families with members who have physical disabilities.
It was a big three days for many reasons, including that it was Habitat for Humanity’s 1,000th home built, rehabbed or repaired. The Agency had the honor to be alongside them for this exciting milestone. “I loved witnessing the team bonding, the laughs, and everyone’s enthusiasm to make a positive impact together,” said Caroline Pinal, Founder of Giveback Homes, “I’m grateful for the experience and can’t wait for us to do more next year!”
The new residents for all 10 homes are expected to be able to move in by early Summer 2022,
with construction expected to be completed in April 2022.
Here are some top highlights from the action-packed event.
DAY 1
Bond Street Partners kicked off the build day with non-stop dancing and paint roller choreography. Agents reminisced about their first build days, and David Parnes shared he was wearing the same boots he wore on his first build in Compton. Monique Navarro brought her son to one of her first build days and this time she was able to bring her daughter. For The Agency staff members who joined, this was their first build day experience, bringing joy and camaraderie to the experience.
Volunteers: James Harris, David Parnes, Sydney Brombal, Kris Everett, Allie Glick, Vinny Morales, Taylor Shapiro, Lindsay Taylor, Taryn Fletcher, Lauren Forment, Alexander Mourra, Monique Navarro, Sophia Navarro and Elisabeth Walton.
DAY 2
The morning started with everyone answering a question: What’s the best thing that’s happened so far today? Two people were celebrating birthdays (Sharon Benton and Stephanie Langlitz), Carla Buigues was honoring her mother through service that day, Ricardo Beer was excited to be volunteering and putting in some work just like he did on his first Build Day, and Chris Johnson and Holly Hatch were nearly convinced to get married on the building site! A little rain didn’t stop the afternoon volunteers—their painting skills and boomerangs were on point. The sun came out just as the day ended.
Volunteers: Ricardo Beer, Sharon Benton, Tara Burns, Chris Johnson, Holly Hatch, Christine Kim, Carla Buigues, Stephanie Langlitz, Razza Razon, Penelope Stipanovich, Emilee Sutherland, Jenia Tsipenyuk, Shannon Vital, Heather Bell, Jaqueline Bradley, Sarah Feldbaum, Lisa Neri, Jaliya Quinones, Michelle Gomez, Denise Snanoudj and Abby Nava.
DAY 3
The Grauman & Rosenfeld Group brought the energy on day three with a pre-build stretch and pump up. Many of the agents expressed that they really enjoyed the conversation and quality time while carpooling to Long Beach. Matan Michael and Sandro Dazzan perfected the double-roller technique, Billy Rose and Tom Dolezel finished off a complete room, Feroz Taj managed to escape with only minor paint splatters on his outfit, and Jenna Fabian provided the perfect playlist to close out the day. Agents were able to snap polaroids and sign the interior of the walls with well-wishes for the future homeowners and their families. Agents learned about the qualifications for families to purchase these homes, how important volunteerism is to these developments, in which 80% of the work is done by volunteers. They will be invited to the home dedication ceremony and have the opportunity to meet the families who will be moving in next year.
Volunteers: Abby Cantu, Brandon Graves, Nhi Le, Cristina Lopez, Matan Michael, Jennifer Miller, Kevin Stewart, Feroz Taj, Mike Wagner, Amy Walker, Kai Zlotnitsky, Sandro Dazzan, Jenna Fabian, Lauren Forment, Alyssa Geiger, Michelle Knutson, Billy Rose, Jessie Stockstad, Tracy Taggart and Tom Dolezel.
