1st Habitat SHR "Dream Builder Award"

Habitat for Humanity is founded on the conviction that everyone should have a decent and affordable place to live with dignity and safety. Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads (Habitat SHR) wanted to draw more attention to the issue of housing affordability and highlight the efforts of those who are successfully making the "American Dream of Homeownership" possible for working families in our community.

To accomplish this goal, Habitat SHR has created an award to pay tribute to individuals, organizations and companies that continually commit time, resources, leadership and vision to the advancement of affordable workforce housing in South Hampton Roads. On October 10th at our annual Tool Box Bash event, we will present Habitat SHR’s 1st "Dream Builders" Award to a company that has been committed to making homeownership possible and sustainable for South Hampton Roads families since it was founded– The Dragas Companies!

For forty years, this family-owned business has focused on building quality housing priced within the reach of first-time homebuyer families. The Dragas Companies has proven that it is possible to build beautiful homes that working families can afford to buy, and they have proven that affordable housing can be profitable. That focus and their dedication to conservative fiscal policies allow The Dragas Companies to react quickly to market changes. Indeed, it earned The Dragas Companies America’s Best Builder 2009 award from one of the building industry’s leading national publications, Builder magazine.

Community involvement, a strong component of The Dragas Companies’ corporate culture, has benefitted the South Hampton Roads community through the firm’s charitable contributions, volunteer efforts and support for education. Habitat SHR has been the recipient of their generosity for several years. The company and its employees have built two Habitat houses during our 2006 Home Builders Blitz in the Brighton neighborhood of Portsmouth and, in 2008, in the Huntersville neighborhood of Suffolk. The Dragas Companies has been a steady donor of surplus building materials to the Habitat General Stores and has supported the Tool Box Bash for many years.

The Dragas Companies has also been a significant supporter of local efforts to end homelessness and has donated $1.5 million to develop programs to help homeless families in the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach.

We congratulate The Dragas Companies and will be truly honored to present Helen Dragas, the company’s president and CEO with the 1st Habitat SHR "Dream Builder" Award at this year’s Tool Box Bash.

Read more about The Dragas Companies at www.dragas.com