More Family Success Stories Contact: Homeowner Relations (650) 568-7322 housinginterest @peninsulahabitat.org Home Family Success Stories The Bernardino, Ong/Tan, Torres and Wong/Chu Families Four More Daly City Families Move into Habitat Homes and Share Their Stories at June 3 Dedication Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, the City of Daly City and the local community celebrated with four families as they received the keys to their new homes at a dedication ceremony Saturday, June 3. Hosted at the families' homes on De Long Street across from the Bay Area Rapid Transit station, the community had an opportunity to meet the families whose homes they helped build and hear their stories. "The De Long Street dedication marked another milestone for Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, Daly City, Habitat families, and our volunteers and donors," said Mary Boughton, executive director of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity. "It was so exciting to see such a tremendous outpouring of support from the community. With their help, we gave these four wonderful families the best house-warming party ever!" The Bernardino, Ong/Tan, Wong/Chu and Torres families were joined by friends and relatives who smiled, laughed and cried with them during the ceremony. With keys in hand the families thanked the audience for sharing in such an exciting and precious moment in their lives. "It's amazing that this kind of opportunity was given to my family," said Candice Bernardino, daughter of new Habitat homeowners Nestor and Teresita Bernardino. "We are the lucky ones. It is a dream come true for our family and we just can't express how happy we are to have this lovely home. Thank you for helping us build our home." The Ong/Tan family said that becoming Habitat homeowners was the first step in the realization of all their dreams and aspirations, and that now they could focus us helping their children realize their dreams. "You are all so loving and caring, and we appreciate you so much," said Virginia Tan. "We pray that you can help more people like us experience the American Dream of owning a home." Begun in late fall 2005, the families homes were part of an on-going collaborative effort between Peninsula Habitat for Humanity and Daly City to meet residents' needs for affordable, ownership housing and improve the quality of their lives. Peninsula Habitat for Humanity first met with Daly City officials in 2001 to find sites for homes, and since then have worked to build 11 affordable, ownership homes for Daly City families. "It was evident that we shared the same goals," said Richard Berger, Daly City's assistant director of economic and community development. "The type of housing that Habitat builds and the way Habitat works with families is very consistent with Daly City's priorities to expand services, preserve our neighborhoods and improve peoples' lives." Several government officials including the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and officials, Daly City Council members and staff, the Mayor of Brisbane and Colma Chamber of Commerce staff attended the dedication to celebrate with the families. Also in attendance were representatives from Bay Area sponsoring companies and community organizations such as the San Mateo County Association of Realtors; Lockheed Martin; Greater Bay Bank; Belmont United Congregational Church of Christ; Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; Holy Trinity Episcopal Church; Symantec; Kaiser Permanente; Coldwell Banker; and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. "With this kind of commitment and support from local communities, we can provide hardworking families with an opportunity to find stability and success," said Boughton. "Thanks to Daly City's effort in working with us, four more Daly City families are now experiencing the joy of owning a home in one of the world's most expensive housing markets. We're looking forward to continuing our work with the city to make affordable housing a reality for low-income families." For more family success stories, please click here.