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ALTADENA, Calif. () — After the walls of Kenneth and Carol Wood’s Altadena home are painted and finished, they will hold loving messages written inside by the volunteers who helped rebuild them.
Wednesday, the Woods had a chance to check on the construction of their home, all made possible by San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
“It really kind of takes my breath away to see how much is being done, the hard work that’s being put in for us,” Mrs. Wood said Wednesday.
One year after the Eaton fire turned their lives upside down, the Woods said they are grateful and eager to move back in.
The Woods said their home held countless memories, first belonging to Mrs. Wood’s parents.
PHOTOS: 7 and Disney VoluntEARS help rebuild Altadena home
“The kids were all born around in this area where we are, so, everything is here,” Carol Wood said. “This is our life.”
It’s where the Wood’s grandchildren took their first steps. But, they say home is also outside of the structure that was and will be. The mountains are something Mr. Wood longed to see since he was a little boy in New Jersey.
“I’m looking at these mountains that mean the world to me,” Kenneth Wood said. “The fact that I can be here, I’m so grateful.”
Last summer, we told you how Habitat for Humanity was collaborating with the county and the Foothill Catalog Foundation to expedite the rebuilding process in Altadena.
“We quickly put together a program that resulted in assisting underinsured and uninsured, longtime Altadena residents and homeowners to find hope and opportunities, and ways that they can rebuild and restore their homes,” said Faith Mellinger, of the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
By October, volunteers were breaking ground on the Woods’ home.
On Wednesday, work continued, powered by helpful hands from 7 Los Angeles and Disney, our parent company.
“For us at 7, just to be able to give back and to really say ‘thank you’ to the community, to allow us to serve is a really big deal,” 7 general manager and president Wendy Granato said.
The Wood’s home is the first post-fire rebuild by the nonprofit, but not the last.
Narmeen Nasseem is a two-time fire survivor. First, the Tubbs Fire in Northern California and now the Eaton Fire. She is among the roughly 25 families who will soon share the same joy of having their homes rebuilt by Habitat for Humanity.
“The mountains called to me, and I looked at 34 houses before I bought the one I bought,” Nasseem said. “I lived in it for two years and a week, and my house burned down in the Eaton fire.”
The Woods, Nasseem, and their helpers are a testament to the spirit of Altadena.
“How do we take care of each other? How are we kind to each other?” questioned Nasseem.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, as far as volunteers, so I want to say to them and others who may not be of Habitat, ‘thank you,’ ” said Kenneth Wood, who will turn 86 next month.
To learn how to apply for support, volunteer, or donate to San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, visit sgvhabitat.org.
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