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Law office team helps build Habitat homes
Courtesy photo Caroline Hurtado, a Wood & Bender attorney, headed up a project to help build two Habitat for Humanity homes in Villa Cesar Chavez in Oxnard.
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A team of 15 attorneys and staff members from Wood & Bender LLP, a Ventura law firm, along with family members, helped build two Habitat for Humanity homes in Villa Cesar Chavez.
The development in Oxnard includes six single-family homes for very-low and low-income families built through Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County.
The project was headed by Caroline Hurtado, Wood & Bender attorney and newly appointed member of the Habitat for Humanity board of directors, who believes strongly in Habitat's vision for a community. The charity gives people in need an opportunity to work on their home and see the fruits of their labor, alongside volunteers from the community who want to improve standards of living and ensure those in need have adequate housing.
"I like that people are required to put in sweat equity for their homes because I think it gives the new homeowners a sense of dignity," Hurtado said. "It was important for me to give my time because it is the most precious commodity I have and truly feels like a sacrifice."
Helping others was ingrained in Hurtado as a child. Her family built homes and worked in orphanages in Tijuana, Mexico, and Ventura County, and often volunteer at the Ventura County Rescue Mission. Recently, Hurtado assisted in running a summer camp for children from an impoverished foothill suburb of Lima, Peru. Last year, she visited a slum community she supports in the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, and spent time interacting with residents of the community.
"It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of practicing law and all of the demands placed on us as lawyers," Hurtado said. "We possess skills and resources that could greatly affect our communities. Not to mention, giving back cultivates an appreciation for life that is indescribable and may even affect the way we practice law and relate to those around us. Even the smallest donation of time or money makes a difference."
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