Gingerbread house sets out tasty path to Okanagan homeownership – Okanagan | 24CA News
Shelley Bowolin and her daughter Grace reconstructed one of many Habitat for Humanity Okanagan homes from Lake Country in gingerbread type and, in flip, gained the People’s Choice Award for the 2022 Jingle Bell Build.
It was the third yr of the gingerbread house-building competitors and successful for his or her tasty, tiny construct was emotional for the household hoping to someday stay in one of many Lake Country homes.
“It brings tears to my eyes – we’ve been to the site, worked on the site and we’re really anxious to step in and do some work on the house,” Shelley mentioned.
“It’s going to be an amazing experience for us – not only to have a home but to be part of a community is a good part of it as well.”
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Other winners introduced Thursday have been the Ivan and Melaney households, in addition to Cohesion Land and Design and Artistic Awning within the Team Category.
More than 100 entries have been submitted, elevating greater than $17,000 which is one other massive step in direction of getting 4 households into houses.
But there’s nonetheless a protracted approach to go.
“We’re going to be doing things like this – we’re going to be out in the community, working with partners like Re/Max and doing what we can to raise another $1.7 million because that’s what we estimate the cost will be for our four-plex,” mentioned Danielle Smith, useful resource growth supervisor for Habitat for Humanity Okanagan.
One of these native companions is Re/Max Kelowna. Managing Director Brandon Sancioni is properly conscious of simply how integral fundraisers like this are for households struggling to personal a house within the Okanagan.
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“It’s a tough market to get into so giving back and providing for families to have their own homes and own bedrooms is an experience I was personally involved in,” Sanchioni mentioned.
“My old neighbour actually got a Habitat home so, watching that be built from the ground up and then seeing her face light up when she got to enter her new home with her three children. It’s a great experience – and what a great program and partnership to be a part of.”
Next up for Habitat Okanagan, one other bottle drive is occurring Saturday, Jan. 14, on the Re-Stores in Both Kelowna and West Kelowna.
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