Teens Find a Constructive Use of Time

To those who lament that teenagers do nothing constructive, four dozen area students invite their critics to join them in picking up a hammer and driving a few nails.

On Saturday, the students--from four Ventura County high schools and one in Los Angeles County--began building the first residence in what will become a 22-home subdivision for low-income families. Nearly all the money needed to build the Habitat for Humanity home was raised by the students.

Julia Cox, 16, helped organize her fellow students at Ventura’s Buena High School.

“I just thought it would be a great way to show people that teenagers don’t just loaf around . . . and play video games all day,” she said.

Nearly two years ago the Buena High students--along with their counterparts at Ventura and Fillmore high schools, Thacher High School in Ojai and Viewpoint in Calabasas--began raising money to build the house. After numerous bake sales, a talent show, other fund-raisers and many grant applications, they came up with $50,000 toward the $70,000 project.

Viewpoint parent Gail Wilson said the experience has taught the students new skills.

“How many kids know how to write a grant?” said Wilson, a Thousand Oaks resident. “Now they do. It’s amazing.”

The students proved that their construction skills aren’t too shabby either.

“Some of them can actually swing a hammer now,” Wilson said. “We had a lot of bent nails the first hour.”

Saturday was a chance for the students to see their fund-raising work turn into something concrete. The day began with just a foundation and ended with a fully framed house, complete with roof trusses.

“That was just the best part--seeing the first wall meet the second wall,” said Ashley Brown, a senior at Viewpoint, who hammered her first nail Saturday. In the coming months, she and the other volunteers will work weekend shifts to finish the house.

“There’s a lot of technical stuff that they cannot do,” said project supervisor Gregg Tutor, a Fillmore general contractor. “But one thing nobody had to show them how to do was raise money.”

Also helping the students Saturday were the future owners of the three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot home, Robert and Maria Avila. In addition to providing interest-free mortgages, Habitat for Humanity requires its homeowners to contribute 500 hours in “sweat equity” toward their houses or those of others.

The Avilas said the volunteers have inspired them to keep working on Habitat homes well past their required 500 hours.

“The enthusiasm they have, it just motivates you,” Robert Avila said.

“It’s rubbing off on us for the next home,” chimed in Maria Avila, who is already hunting for carpet and paint colors for her first home. The Avilas and their two teenage sons expect to move into the home in March or April.

Their home will be Habitat for Humanity’s 13th in Ventura County and the first to be built in Duneden, a 22-home subdivision Habitat is building on 4 1/2 acres off Main Street in Piru. Depending upon funding, the remaining homes could be built within five years.

While students led the fund-raising for the Avilas’ home--and selected the couple as its owners--the money for the next Duneden home scheduled for construction is being raised primarily by women, and will be built by them as well. Habitat is looking for sponsors for the remaining houses.

Mona Enriquez and her two sons moved in a year ago to the first Habitat home in Piru, a few streets from Duneden. She is helping the Avilas navigate the process of becoming new homeowners.

The best thing about her new house?

“It’s mine,” Enriquez said. “And I’m able to give my children a comfortable, warm place to live.”