July Update - changes and a partner family!

If you've been out to the Kinsell Commons site recently, you may have noticed a big change. Namely, the Thrivent Builds sign is on a different house! That's because house #13 is one of the few 2 bedroom houses in the development, and #3 is a 3 bedroom house. That makes it easier to find a family to fit in house #3, so guess which is the Thrivent Builds house now?

So our new Thrivent Builds partner family is the Lei/Yu family. Currently, Xue Ying Yu, her husband Zhen An Lei, her son Ting Jun Lei, and her elderly mother Cong La Wu, live in a cramped two-bedroom apartment in downtown Oakland. Their son sleeps on the living room couch and often has trouble concentrating on his school work because he has no place to study. Additionally, at 76-years-old, Cong La Wu has mobility issues that preclude her from climbing the stairs in their current building, keeping her trapped in the small apartment most of the time.

The other big change is that it's approaching the end of the 11 month stint for the current AmeriCorps members. Those helpful, energetic young crew leaders you've grown to know and love will be leaving soon. So say hi and thank you to them when you see them. I know I'll miss them.