Families at Fox Hollow
The Amaya Family 
The Amaya
family consists of Carla and her two children, Gilberto and Brenda. The
family is originally from El
Salvador and they have lived in the valley
for over 10 years. Carla currently works in the pharmacy at Wal-Mart, with
both her mom and sister. Previously, Carla worked at the Vail Cascade in
the housekeeping department for 7 years.
During the selection process, it was very
evident to the Family Selection Committee that this mother would do anything in
her power to provide a better life for her two children. Safety was this
mom’s number one concern at the apartment complex where the family used to
live. Furthermore, education is of utmost importance to this family, and
Gilberto is in the gifted program at his school.
The Mendez Family
Emilio
and Rosalina are the proud parents of four, Brenda, Maricela, Emilio, and
Gabriel. Emilio has been an employee of Edward’s Building Center
for the over 9 years and is very well respected by his co-workers. Education is a top priority in the Mendez family, which is made evident by the
certificates of achievement hung proudly on their refrigerator. The
family is also very active in their local church and choir.
The
Mendez family moved out of their trailer in Dotsero into their brand new home
at Fox Hollow in Edwards. At Habitat, we build houses to create a
foundation for our families to grow into their full potential, and we are
confident that Habitat’s home ownership program will allow the Mendez family to
achieve great things.
The Katz Family 
Natalie Katz has lived in the Valley for more
than 20 years. In 1994, she was blessed with her daughter Samantha,
known to everyone as Scooby. Samantha is an excellent student at Battle Mountain High School. In fact, Samantha was the valedictorian
of her 8th grade class at Minturn Middle School.
Natalie is
often times found serving meals to the residents and guests of the
Valley at the Westside Café, where she works. A long time local,
Natalie has many friends in the Valley. Both Natalie and Samantha are
very civic minded, picking up trash around their neighborhood on Earth
Day and donating their hair to 'Locks of Love' to make wigs for children who have no hair
due to disease or from burns.
The Loera-Lopez Family
The
Loera-Lopez family consists of parents, Arnoldo and Leticia, and
children, Refugio and Jesus. Arnoldo has worked as a houseman at the
Christie Lodge for more than 7 years; he also works part-time at
Wal-Mart. Refugio is a student at Battle Mountain High School and is
a great role model to his little brother. As the saying goes, 'like father, like son": both
Arnoldo and Refugio are very good artists. One of Refugio’s drawings
was sent to thousands in Habitat’s end of the year mailer.
The Morales Family
Shelly Morales was born Chihuahua, Mexico, and spent her childhood growing up in Roswell, New Mexico, where her parents still live. She has one brother who currently lives in Montana. Shelly moved to the Valley over 12 years ago, where she now lives with her daughter, Celeste, and her son, Dylan. Celeste attends Berry Creek Middle School and Dylan goes to preschool at June Creek Elementary. Shelly is the Office Manager at Edwards Elementary School. Her passion for children is also seen in her teaching of Balet Folklorico, which she has been doing for the past three years. She believes that it is important that people never lose sight of their cultural heritage and traditions.
The Lopez Family
Pedro and Magdalena Lopez are the proud
parents of three daughters, Alejandra, Brissa and Lizette. Pedro has worked as a houseman at the Vail Marriott for over 12
years. Both parents recently passed the citizenship test and became
citizens of the United States; both were very proud to be able to vote
in the most recent presidential election. Magdalena is currently
studying for her GED and parents are excellent, accomplished
cooks and have served amazing meals at several large Habitat events.