Celebrating our Habitat Heroes this Season

Reflecting on 2025 and Paving the Way for 2026

December 2025

Newsletter Snapshot

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Letter from our CEO

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Spotlight Article:

Holiday Traditions: The Blankenship Place Families

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Newsworthy Updates:

Blankenship Place Build Progress
Corporate Volunteer Days
Giving Tuesday
End of Year Campaign, with Maricela & Benigno Family Feature

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Donor Spotlight:

Julie's 100 Gifts of Impact

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Habitat Highlights:

Volunteer Opportunities in 2026
Ready for a Winter Refresh? Donate to our ReStore
Cars for Homes

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Dear Friends,

As we close out 2025, my heart is full of gratitude. This year has been one of meaningful progress for Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, made possible by the generosity, dedication, and spirit of our community. From our partner families, volunteers, board members, donors, staff, community & corporate partners, and everyone in between, you are the Habitat Heroes who have carried our mission forward every single day.

Together, we supported the families of Blankenship Place, our four-townhome development, who are celebrating their last holiday season before moving into their forever homes next fall in Sebastopol. Your belief in our mission is what makes milestones like these possible.

Looking ahead, 2026 marks an exciting new chapter. With two home build projects in the pipeline for 2027–2028, we are preparing for one of the most significant periods of sustainable growth in our organization’s history. This momentum is only possible because of the collective dedication and generosity of our Habitat community.

As we step into the new year, I invite you to stay engaged, stay hopeful, and stay inspired. Every contribution, of time, talent, or treasure helps strengthen the fabric of our community. Together, we can create lasting impact that extends far beyond the walls of any one home, shaping a more stable, connected Sonoma County for generations to come.

Thank you for building with us.

'Tis the Season for Holiday Traditions!

In our Fall Newsletter, we introduced the four families of our Blankenship Place homes in Sebastopol. This year marks their last Christmas in their current rentals before they move into their Habitat homes in Fall 2026, homes where they will finally be able to create lasting holiday memories in a place they own.

This holiday season is filled with gratitude as they gather with their children and extended families, celebrate cherished traditions, and look ahead with excitement and hope to the new year and the milestones ahead.

Jeremy & Melissa:

For Jeremy and Melissa’s family, the holidays are all about baking and cooking. One of their favorite traditions is making tamales on Christmas Eve, with the family spending the morning mixing masa, assembling the tamales, steaming them, and of course sampling a few along the way while enjoying treats and coffee. They also love preparing Danish pastries, cookies, shepherd’s pie, and fruit pies, filling their home with warmth, laughter, and the smells of the season.

Looking ahead to next year, they're beyond excited to use their new kitchen to bring all of their holiday traditions to life. They also look forward to celebrating with their new neighbors they’ve come to know through the Habitat community, creating new memories in a place that truly feels like home.

Maria:

Every year, the weekend before Christmas, Maria and her son take over the kitchen to bake cookies, each choosing a new recipe or a cherished favorite alongside their classic sugar-cookie cutouts. With Christmas music playing and way too much chai tea, the kitchen ends up a delightful mess, but the house fills with the cozy scent of the season.

They share cookies with friends throughout the week, saving a big tin for themselves to enjoy on Christmas Eve, making sweet memories that last long after the baking is done.

As they look ahead to next year, they’re excited to celebrate the holidays in their very own home for the first time, a space filled with stability and room to host loved ones.

Alaina:

For Alaina and her daughter, the holidays are about creating space, magic, and memories together. As they look ahead to their last Christmas before moving into their forever Habitat home, she is especially excited to have a space where she can decorate freely, both inside and out, and looks forward to putting up lights and festive decorations outdoors for neighbors and passersby to enjoy.

One of her most cherished traditions is sharing the magic of Christmas morning with her daughter. Alaina has special childhood memories of bounding downstairs to see the tree and presents, and she is excited to pass along that same tradition and feeling to her daughter

Kerrily:

Kerrily and her sons love baking, and every Christmas their kitchen overflows with cookies, laughter, and the joyful chaos of the season. They bake loads of Christmas cookies to share with friends and family, but their favorite are ginger cookies, cut into festive shapes and decorated with colorful icing and sprinkles.

While they will still be in their current home for this holiday season, they are already dreaming about their first Christmas in their new Habitat home next year. They cannot wait to bake, cook, and gather with loved ones in a space that will truly be their own, creating new traditions and cherished memories that will last for years to come.

Newsworthy Updates

Blankenship Place Build Update!

Big things are happening at Blankenship Place in Sebastopol as our team completes major milestones, including underslab plumbing, foundation pouring, and the near completion of our framing. This week, we're finishing the second floor framing and will be gearing up for roofing to begin in the new year.

This winter, the crew will continue working hard on plumbing, electrical and HVAC, insulation, drywall, and exterior finishes.

But the most exciting part? The walls are up! For the first time since our groundbreaking in May 2025, the townhomes are visibly taking shape and really starting to look like homes.

Read the full construction update on our website.

We're Raising the Walls

Think Outside the Walls: Corporate Volunteer Opportunities in 2026

Join Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County for a Corporate Build Day, where hammers meet high-fives and your team can make a real difference for local families!

Why You’ll Love It:

Strengthen workplace relationships through hands-on, collaborative fun
Boost morale and engagement with a shared sense of purpose
Make a tangible impact on Sonoma County’s housing crisis

Opportunities Include:

Rolling up your sleeves on our build site in Sebastopol
Volunteering at our ReStore
Helping with home repair projects (mid-2026 or later)

What to Expect:

Corporate Build Days are flexible, interactive, and designed for maximum fun. Your team will leave tired, maybe with a few sore muscles, but with the unbeatable feeling of having made a real difference.

We offer multiple sponsorship tiers to fit your company’s goals. Learn more and book your team bonding experience for 2026 below!

Team Up & Show Up

'Tis the Season for GivingTuesday

Did you know that 30% of annual giving occurs in December?

This is our moment: the time of year when we can truly move the needle for housing in Sonoma County. Throughout the past month, we’ve been spotlighting Habitat families whose lives are being transformed thanks to community support.

And because of your generosity on Giving Tuesday, families are already one step closer to the security and stability of a home they can finally call their own.

At Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, we know that a home is far more than a structure. It’s the foundation for generational change:

Children inherit the stability, and future wealth, created by homeownership
Families gain a safe, secure place to grow and thrive
Adults can strengthen their financial footing, pursue education, and build opportunity for the next generation

December is our chance to accelerate this impact. Your gift this month helps families move from uncertainty into a place they can call home, and fuels the kind of hope that lasts for generations.

Join us in creating the change we want to see in our community. Your support today makes all the difference.

Give Today

How Your End-of-Year-Giving Changes Lives

This holiday season, we launched our end-of-year appeal, highlighting what the full circle experience of being a Habitat homeowner means. We reintroduced Maricela and Benigno, who have lived in their Habitat home for 15 years and are nearly finished paying off their mortgage, to the Blankenship Place families, just beginning their Habitat journey—working on sweat equity, attending financial education classes, and preparing to move into their forever homes in Fall 2026. Your support makes every step possible.

For Maricela and Benigno, their home has been more than four walls and a roof. It has provided stability through life’s challenges, a foundation for their children to pursue higher education and meaningful careers, and a space for family milestones, holidays, and now six grandchildren. Meanwhile, the Blankenship Place families are celebrating cherished traditions and looking forward to their future full of security and belonging.

Read about how your gift of time, talent, or treasure helps make these moments possible for these Sonoma County families.

Read the Full Appeal

Maricela, Benigno & kids, before moving into their Habitat Home (2010)

Maricela, Benigno & kids, with six grandkids, in their Habitat Home (2025)

December Donor Spotlight: Celebrating Julie’s 100 Gifts of Impact

Donor Spotlight: Julie!

This month, we are thrilled to celebrate Julie, who has just reached an incredible milestone: her 100th gift to Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County through our HopeBuilder program - where donors commit to a monthly gift!

Julie has been a supporter since 2013 and a HopeBuilder since 2017, contributing more than $31,000 over the years. She believes that “food and housing are fundamental essentials” and is proud to make a recurring impact on families in Sonoma County. Each of Julie’s gifts helps provide safe, stable housing and the opportunity for families to build lasting futures.

What is a HopeBuilder?

Join our monthly giving program and become a HopeBuilder, designed to create sustainable, long-term impact. By giving consistently, donors like Julie help strengthen Habitat, provide reliable funding for home construction, and ensure that Sonoma County families have the stability and opportunity they deserve. Monthly gifts allow us to plan ahead, budget efficiently, and maximize the impact of every dollar.

Julie’s milestone is a powerful reminder of what consistent giving can achieve. Through her dedication, she is helping to transform lives and inspire others to join the effort.

Join the movement. Be a HopeBuilder.

Every gift, big or small, creates real change. Become a HopeBuilder today and help families across Sonoma County access safe, stable homes, and the hope that grows from them.

Build Hope Today

Habitat Highlights

Get Your Hands on the Build in early 2026!

Do you want to be part of the action, donate your time to something that matters, help change lives, and show off your handy skills? With incredible progress underway at our Blankenship Place build site, we’re thrilled to welcome community volunteers back in early 2026! You’ll get hands-on experience supporting critical phases like insulation, baseboards & trim, and interior finishes.

As we move into summer and fall, volunteers will tackle exterior painting, railing installation, landscaping, garage work, and final finish tasks, all essential steps toward opening the doors to the families eagerly waiting for their new homes in Fall 2026.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the action! Sign up now to get early access to volunteer opportunities and help us build homes, hope, and a stronger Sonoma County.

Lend a Hand

Ready for a Winter Refresh? Donate to ReStore!

Habitat for Humanity’s 29,000 square foot ReStore is more than Sonoma County's biggest resale treasure trove; it’s a key part of our mission to build and repair affordable homes in our community. This winter, give your home a Winter Refresh by donating gently used furniture, lighting, art, décor, appliances, building materials, and everything in between. Every item you give directly supports families striving for strength, stability, and independence through safe housing.

By donating, you’re not only clearing space and refreshing your home, you’re keeping usable items out of landfills and fueling affordable housing projects right here in our community. It’s the ultimate win-win: do good for your home, do good for your neighbors.

Ready to make an impact?

Donate to ReStore today and help families build a stronger future.

Start Your Winter Refresh Journey