Homes foundation shows heart





Julieann and Butch Hartman

Julieann and Butch Hartman

Making a house a home isn’t always easy, especially when times are hard and repair costs are high. Charitable organizations normally assisting those who can’t afford home their repairs aren’t able to help as much as they used to.

That’s where the Hartman House comes in.

The nonprofit organization based in Calabasas has been helping people in poverty-stricken regions in America and throughout the world since 2005.

The group recently launched a campaign called Project: HOME (Help Others Maintain Excellence).

Project: HOME aims to improve living conditions for families in need, said Felicia Burns, executive director for Hartman House. The project will also help to refurbish the workplaces of nonprofit organizations in the Los Angeles area, she said.

Hartman House founders Butch and Julieann Hartman of Bell Canyon wanted to make a difference in the world by providing financial and spiritual support to people in need.

Butch Hartman is a professional animator and creator of three Nickelodeon cartoons: “The Fairly Oddparents,” “Danny Phantom” and “T.U.F.F. Puppy.” His wife, Julieann, runs the foundation.

“My husband and I, we call ourselves ‘feel-good junkies,’” Julieann Hartman said.

The organization is led by a board of directors consisting of five individuals responsible for all administrative costs. It receives financial support and free services and labor from sponsors throughout the U.S.

So far, Hartman House has built two homes for families in Guatemala, provided nearly 7,200 families in the U.S. with Thanksgiving meals and is in the midst of funding a school in Africa.

Hartman House has worked with another organization in Hollywood to gather clothes and supplies for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, contributed funds to establish a girls’ shelter in Angola, Africa, and paid $18,000 for the release of nine cargo shipping containers that had been detained by the Haitian Cargo Authorities. The containers held supplies for an orphanage and had been detained for two years.

Hartman said an 84-year-old missionary woman who she met at a conference a few years ago inspired her to help people in developing countries.

“It makes you happy and feels good to give somebody something. I love to help people. That’s what I get up for every morning,” Hartman said.

People don’t have to be wealthy to make a difference in someone else’s life, she said.

“Anybody can help anybody at any time if they have a heart to do that. But it’s kind of missing in this world as more people are just trying to hold on to what they have,” she said.

Dawn Larson of West Hills, whose family volunteers for the Hartman foundation, said Butch and Juliann Hartman are generous and caring individuals.

“I like how they’re always trying to think of new ways to help out. They live to serve God and do what God is calling them to do, going out and helping the community,” Larson said.

Larson’s 17- year- old son, Garett, recently traveled to Alabama with Hartman House to deliver packages for people whose homes were damaged by tornadoes. Her other sons, Trevor, 14, and Mason, 11, also get involved.

Hartman House is accepting submissions from families whose homes need refurbishing. To qualify, the family must live in a single-family home and earn less than $30,000 a year.

With regard to nonprofit centers, Hartman House’s first project is to renovate the Mary Magdalene Project, which helps women who have been victims of sex trafficking and street prostitution.

Hartman House is working with Calabasas real estate agent Desiree Zuckerman of Rodeo Realty and interior design company Turquoise LA to get Project: HOME underway.

“As a Realtor, having the opportunity to create a better environment for someone to live in on a daily basis is an incredible feeling of truly making a difference in someone’s life,” Zuckerman said.

She added that she and her husband witnessed the “amazing dedication” and hands-on help the Hartmans give to others through the foundation.

“We wanted to align ourselves with a charity that was giving back in our very own community. Together we brainstormed an idea for this year to rehab the home of a family in need locally,” Zuckerman said.

Aside from enlisting resources from its own board members and partners, the Hartman House seeks volunteers, sponsors and supplies for its projects.

A list of supplies, furniture and skills needed to refurbish the nonprofit center and the residence will be posted at the website www.hartmanhouse.org.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *