Habitat for Humanity's Project Playhouse

Ted Becker is a busy man. This week, the corporate development officer of Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley welcomed employees from FedEx, Wells Fargo and Intel to the headquarters in Milpitas.

And put them to work with power tools and paint.

"We created a team building program," he said, where companies can finish a project in a day.

At the moment, the nonprofit is in between , but that hasn't stopped them from building entirely.

The Candyland-like miniature houses, four by five feet with a peaked roof, have become popular with corporations. About two or three groups arrive each week to build the playhouses. 

"We sold a few, we donated a few, we used a few to fundraise," said Becker.

On Wednesday, two playhouses were donated to military nonprofits. South Bay Blue Star Moms gave the playhouse to a family with two young daughters. The father serves in the Army National Guard.

The second playhouse will be auctioned off at a fundraiser for The Pathway Home, a residential treatment program for injured soldiers dealing with combat stress related issues. 

It took 40 FedEx employees to build the two playhouses.

FedEx District Manager Debi Carrubba said, “We are thrilled to donate these playhouses to two nonprofit organizations that make a difference in people’s lives.”

The 2,000 square feet workshop is tucked away off S. Abbott Avenue in the  in Milpitas.

The idea is similar to building the affordable housing developments Habitat for Humanity is known for nationwide. Take volunteers, who may not have any construction skills, and train them to construct a house.

Corporations pitch in $2,500 for the day, and the money helps Habitat for Humanity to build houses for low-income families.

Participants have to get their hands dirty. There's raw plywood, rotary saws, routers, and paint, similar to a construction site.

"Most of the Habitats are not blessed with the available space" to have a workshop of this size, said Becker. But as the Milpitas headquarters estimates $200,000 in revenue for the playhouses, they are discussing how to replicate the program at other Habitat for Humanity locations.

NetApp is the official partner for Project Playhouse, and the employees come once a month. The first fiscal year, they produced about 45 playhouses, said Becker. The Sunnyvale-based company encouraged Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley to work with other groups.

Visit the website for more information at www.habitatsiliconvalley.org.

Contact Ted Becker, Corporate Development Officer at the Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley if you would like more information about building or receiving a playhouse.