Ramos Comes Home

HCRN and Hope City do a lot to bring in volunteer labor, and a large portion of our volunteers don’t get to see what all their efforts produce. That’s why we’ve taken to doing these segments on Home Dedications. And, honestly, these are our favorite stories to do: families coming home. Today, we welcome Katherine Ramos into her new home.

Katherine lost her home in the Valley Fire that burned through Middletown, and has now found herself in a brand new manufactured home. “We’ve got much to celebrate today,” said Kevin Cox, CEO of HCRN. Katherine’s home is the product of a lot of coordination between several different organizations, including Hammer’s for Hope, North Coast Opportunities, and Direct Homes. “It’s always really a privilege for us to come alongside a family and to be able to walk with [them] through the journey.”

“This is a great day to be here,” said Moke Simon, who wears many hats in Lake County but was the representative for Hammer’s for Hope today. “We’re excited for you to be here, for us to dedicate this home for you,” Simon said to Ramos. This house has been a labor of love from many in the community as Lake County continues to recover. So many organizations were involved in bringing Katherine home, and the joy in her face was astounding. “Thank you! If it wasn’t for you guys this wouldn’t be happening!” Ramos exclaimed, close to tears.

At every Home Dedication HCRN and Hope City does, there are a few items we always give out. The first is a hand made cross for the homeowners to hang up as a reminder that without God, none of this would’ve been possible. The second is a prayer shawl, provided by the United Methodist shawl ministry. The third is a quilt or comforter, Ramos’s was provided by the Presbyterian Church of the Master. She was blown away by all the wonderful things provided to her, and was overflowing with thankfulness. The final thing presented to her was her house key, and she nearly broke down in tears.

“For a long time, I had a single wide mobile home, and it was really getting run down. Where the fire has caused a lot of problems for me, it’s a blessing for me because I have a better house now than the one I had before. And that’s because of your organization and I thank you.” We are so lucky to get to do what we do and help who we help. It can’t be overstated how much of an impact this work has in people’s lives. HCRN and Hope City wouldn’t be able to do this work without the support of our volunteer laborers and donors. If you’d like to be a part of Rebuilding Homes and Restoring Lives, email our volunteer coordinator, Travis Cox, at [email protected]. He’d love to invite you into Lake, Sonoma or Mendocino Counties as we continue to build and work toward’s restoring these communities.

We’re so excited to be able to offer an HCRN NorCal app on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.