Biotech Bay House Volunteers
The nation's first Biotech-sponsored house, made possible by nine Biotech Bay companies, is being built by Habitat for Humanity along with members of the Northern California biotech community. The house will be located on Third Avenue in Daly City. Applied Biosystems, Nektar Therapeutics, Recovery Ops/Genentech, Abbott Labs, Genencor, Cell Genesys, Maxygen, BayBioscience Center, and BioSpace.com along with Rudolph and Sletten, Gray Cary Ware and Freidenrich, LLP, and World Savings have contributed funds to the site. They are also volunteering their time to build the three story, row house on land that formerly was the Ottobani flower nursery.
The high cost of housing forces many families to accept substandard living conditions. First-time homeownership empowers a family to better their lives and their children's futures.
Juan and Lucia Rodriguez Family
The Biotech-Sponsored House will be purchased by Juan and Lucia Rodriguez and their three sons: Alberto (11), Christian (7), and Moises (5). Juan, who is excited about learning construction skills, works in the warehouse at Bi-Rite and Lucia is an elementary school bilingual aide. The family is actively involved with the PTA and their church.
Each Habitat family works 500 hours on their house and the houses of others before they are able to purchase it.
"Employees of Biotech companies understand the great need for decent affordable housing on the Peninsula so that workforce families can live near their jobs rather than commuting long hours to be able to afford to live in the Bay Area," said June LaBarre, Corporate Gifts/Grants Officer of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity.
Those volunteering their time outside of work to help build the Rodriguez' new home include:
BayBio's Caitlyn Waller
BioSpace.com's Rosemary Do
Genencor's Beth Fryksdale, Toby Baldwin, Todd Becker and Nicole Chow
Gray Cary's Gerry Sekimura, Howard Clowes, Jennifer Bruckert, Stacy Snowman and Steve Cohen
Nektar's Carl Ridwell, Chester DeRouin, John Devoy, John Lee, Marwan Shreibati
Rosemary Do, who runs the news department at BioSpace and who studies interior design at night, knows the significance of being able to buy one's own home. "I just bought my first home, a condo in San Francisco. I know how proud I was to be able to do this on my own. I am happy to share that same pride with the Rodriguez family."
Construction of The House
Construction of the three-bedroom house began in March 2004 with the grading of the property and construction of two 180-foot retaining walls. Now that the foundations have been laid, the house is beginning to take shape as volunteers put up the walls.
To date forty-three percent of the funds needed to buy building materials have been donated. There remains $85,000 that will have to be raised to complete the house!
Partnership Levels
Whole House - $150,000
Partial House - $25,000+
The Second Floor - $10,000 - $24,999
The First Floor - $5000 - $9999
The Foundation - $1000 - $4999
Builder - to $999
To add your company to the Bay Area Biotech House partnership, please contact:
June LaBarre
Peninsula Habitat for Humanity
690 Broadway Street
Redwood City, California 94063
june@peninsulahabitat.org
650.568.7332
PeninsulaHabitat.org
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