CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Long time Clearlake residence Jacinthia Davis remembers a time when the county was totally rural and you could see the bottom of the lake.

She was born in Berkeley and from the time she was around 5 years old her parents used to come up to Lake County every year for vacation.

Prejudice and a variety of life circumstances kept the family from moving into the county on a permanent basis so Davis spent most of her life in the Bay Area.
 
From 1975 to 1978, Davis served in the Army at Fort Eustis, Va., as a transport specialist.

After her honorable discharge, she attended college and received her master’s degree in education and psychology, which led to a long career in and around Oakland as a school counselor.

Retirement led her east to Mississippi where she began research into Civil War battlefields and the burial sites for African-American soldiers.

But ill health brought her home to California and she retired to Lake County in order to enjoy the beauty as well as babysit her son’s boats in between bass fishing seasons.
 
When upkeep on her home proved to be greater than her ability to perform them, Davis called upon Habitat for Humanity’s Veteran Repair Program for assistance.

Habitat provided a variety of repairs to her home, including upgrades to her bathrooms with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant toilets with grab bars, the replacement of a broken stove, sink and garbage disposal in her kitchen, and most importantly, the installation of a heating/cooling system to ensure her home remained comfortable in both summer and winter.
 
“I just love those guys; they were very efficient and knowledgeable and cleaned up after themselves when they were done,” said Davis. “That’s so important for someone like me, and I’m so happy with the work they did. I appreciate the opportunity to stay in my home and have it be so nice again. What Habitat does for this community is unbelievable. I am so blessed.”
 
For more information about the Veterans Repair Services, call Habitat for Humanity Lake County at 707-994-1100.