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Beneficiaries
Auction proceeds and a portion of the BirdHaus benefit party ticket sales will help support community arts initiatives and music, drama and visual arts enrichment programs for area students. Arts education is vital to student academic success and social development – helping our youth to build better lives. The Orinda Arts Council's BirdHaus project will also benefit the Mt. Diablo chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity provides human and other resources to build affordable housing for people in need – helping them build better lives.
About the Orinda Arts Council
About Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity
About the Orinda Arts Council
Mission: The mission of the Orinda Arts Council is to stimulate, support and advocate for the visual and performing arts in the schools and the community.
History: The Orinda Arts Council has promoted arts in the community since its inception in 1950. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Orinda Arts Council funds and leads various community programs and projects including:
- Annual juried student Visual Arts competition featuring gallery exhibition and monetary awards
- Annual juried student Performing Arts competition featuring performances and monetary awards
- Curate and exhibit artwork by prestigious local artists in the Orinda Library Art Gallery and student artwork in the Orinda Library Children's area
- Mini-grants for visual and performing arts enrichment programs at Orinda elementary schools, enhancing language arts and social studies curriculum and studio art programs
- Member support to the Orinda school district's arts specialists and their programs
- Outreach programs including art activities at Oakland's Children's Hospital and music programs at local retirement homes
Additionally, the Orinda Arts Council provides financial support for community arts organizations such as the Orinda Library and the Orinda Film Festival. The Orinda Arts Council also supports public art such as sculpture donated to the Orinda Community Center/Library garden.
The funding for these and future programs comes from individual donations and the Orinda Arts Council's annual fund raising efforts such as the 2006 BirdHaus public art installation and benefit auction. The Orinda Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, federal tax number 94-6094855.
More information: For more information about the Orinda Arts Council and its programs, visit www.orindaartscouncil.org
About Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity
Mission: Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds simple, decent, and affordable homes with low-income people in need.
History: Since its incorporation in 1990, Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity has provided affordable housing for 62 families in East and Central Contra Costa County. Our concept is to build communities with community partnerships, to change lives through home construction.
The Bay Area has some of the most expensive property values in the nation, and Contra Costa County ranks among the highest in the area. This county claims more than 13,000 homeless people, over 7000 of who are children. There are more than 17,000 low-income households paying over 30% of their income on rent. Clearly there is a need for affordable housing in Contra Costa County, and Habitat works effectively to satisfy this urgent need.
Through volunteer labor, tax-deductible donations of money and materials, and the sweat equity of partner families, Habitat builds and renovates modest, affordable homes. Completed houses are sold at no profit to partner families and financed through no-interest mortgages typically over a 20 or 30 year period. Mortgage payments are deposited into a revolving "Fund for Humanity" which supports the construction of more houses.
Money and building materials to build each house are provided through donations from individuals, corporations, various organizations, as well as fundraising events, and zero-interest loans. Habitat accepts government funds only for the acquisition of land and costs that "set the stage" for construction, provided such funds have no provisions attached which would violate Habitat's principles.
Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Over the last 25 years, Habitat for Humanity International has built or renovated more than 200,000 homes worldwide and is the largest non-profit home-builder in the United States. Hundreds of Habitat affiliates are working in all 50 states and in over 50 countries, each working within their communities and making the most of local resources to effectively diminish, and ultimately eradicate, poverty housing. Habitat for Humanity International provides affiliates with logistical support and in return affiliates tithe 10% of their fundraising earnings to Habitat for Humanity International for its international work.
More information: For more information about Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity, please visit http://www.mtdiablohabitat.org/home.shtml