Press Releases

• HomeAid’s “An Evening with Dana Carvey” raises over $75,000

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  CONTACTS:
  Cheryl O'Connor | HomeAid Northern California | 925.768.0234 | coconnor@homeaidnc.org
  Gus Nodal | Infinite PR | 415.732.7825 | gnodal@infinitepr.com

  San Ramon, Calif. (July 7, 2010) – An all-out effort to secure sponsorships – led by the DeNova Homes’ husband and wife team of Dave and Lori Sanson – in support of HomeAid Northern California's first annual Benefit show , “An Evening with Dana Carvey” on Thursday, May 6th, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek has paid off . The event was a sold-out success with over $75,000 raised from a wide variety of sponsors.

  “HomeAid has long benefited from the generous support of the homebuilding industry here in the San Francisco Bay Area for which we are most grateful for,” said Julie O’Connor, HomeAid / NC Executive Director. “One of the goals of this event was to raise awareness of HomeAid with the public at large and attempt to generate corporate sponsorship beyond our traditional base. We are very pleased that we achieved this goal, especially given the challenging economic times.”

  The show was supported in part by Headline Sponsors ($10,000+) Pacific Gas & Electric, Brookfield Homes and DeNova Homes. VIP Sponsors ($5,000+) include Alves Ranch, Mechanics Bank, Jelly Belly, BPS Document Solutions, Shadowbrook Winery, Thomas Properties, California Custom Carpets, Contra Costa Times (official media sponsor) and Owens Financial.

  One of “Saturday Night Live’s” most talented alumni, Carvey brought to the Lesher Center’s Hofmann Theatre stage many of his most memorable characters including “Church Lady”, “Jimmy Stewart”, George Bush (HW and W) , and introduced his hilarious Barack Obama impressions to an enthusiastic and applauding crowd. At one point Carvey stated, “I should have taped this show for HBO!”

  Master of Ceremonies for the benefit event was Emmy Award winning KTVU Fox Ch. 2 television reporter Tom Vacar. The evening started out with testimonials from previously homeless mom (and current member of SHELTER Inc’s board of directors) Lisa Suchon, and Mariela Meylan, an Army veteran living in Livermore, who was severely injured in Kuwait when she was run over by an insurgent’s vehicle. Both women were given support by HomeAid’s shelter development program and wounded veteran’s program.

  “We were looking forward to a great evening of comedy with Dana,” said Lori Sanson, Executive Vice President of DeNova Homes. “It was a success beyond our wildest expectations. We are so grateful to have received such support for HomeAid’s goals from the general public, the Bay Area’s corporate community as well as the homebuilding industry and its trade partners.”

  Starting in 1986, Carvey appeared on “Saturday Night Live” for six solid seasons where he reigned supreme, earning a 1993 Emmy Award and multiple American Comedy Awards. He played an important role in helping to reverse the show’s decline in popularity at the time.

  Carvey went on to star with Mike Myers in “Wayne’s World” and “Wayne’s World 2”, both box office smash hits in which the duo recreated their memorable “party-on” dudes Wayne and Garth from their famous SNL sketches.

  Additional support included Spotlight Sponsors ($2,500+) California Bank and Trust, Concord Toyota / Concord Collision, Diablo Magazine, RPM Mortgage, Howard S. Wright / Team Build, Presidio Bank and Bleyco, Inc.

  Red Carpet Sponsors ($1,000+) included Andersen Bonnifield & Roscha, RBC Wealth Management, Nourse Insurance, Lopez and Company, BIA Bay Area, Vandertoolen and Associates, Heffernan Insurance, Blackhawk Services, Inc, Dahlin Group Architecture Planning, The Walker Family, Landcastle Real Estate, New Urban Communities, Matt and Christine Beinke, Kelly Moore Paint Company, Braddock and Logan, Louisiana Pacific, Markstein Sales Company, Ponderosa Homes, Sight and Sound Security, Gunn / Jerkens Marketing and Wells Fargo Bank.

  “Also deserving of HomeAid’s thanks and recognition are EMC Creative, Bucky Boy Group and the Bernard Partnership, all of whom have given tirelessly – at no charge – of their time and effort in identifying and maximizing public relations, marketing and graphic arts opportunities for this event,” said HomeAid’s O’Connor. “These three companies have really expanded public awareness of this event with Dana Carvey.”

  HomeAid is currently building the 34,000 sq. ft. Mission Solano Bridge to Life Center in Fairfield, CA. The facility will be the second largest HomeAid shelter in the USA.

  About Homeaid
  HomeAid Northern California is a 501c(3) non-profit organization founded in 1999 as the charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Northern California. One of the region's most active homeless agencies, HomeAid has built shelters for the transitionally homeless in nearly every county in the San Francisco Bay Area in collaboration with the homebuilding industry and its vendors, partners and suppliers. In addition to providing a safe, comfortable home, the shelters typically offer counseling and job training as core components of their programs.

  HomeAid is currently building additions to the planned 34,000 sq. ft. Mission Solano Bridge to Life Center in Fairfield, CA, which currently has the capacity to house 122 residents. Once completed, the facility will house 162 residents, making it the second largest HomeAid shelter in the USA. Other projects in the works include construction of a new facility at Shepherd's Gate in Livermore, CA; renovation of the First Christian Church in downtown San Jose, CA to provide housing and job training through the Downtown Streets Team project; and renovation of a new Oakland, CA site for DreamCatcher, Alameda County's only emergency shelter for homeless teenagers. A complete list of current and completed shelters can be found here.

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  For more information about HomeAid, including its completed and pending shelter projects, visit www.homeaidnc.org. To arrange an interview please contact Cheryl O'Connor, 925.768.0234, coconnor@homeaidnc.org, or Gus Nodal at Infinite Public Relations, (415) 732-7825, gnodal@infinitepr.com.