Hope Springs Eternal

Our writing and editorial team welcomes the arrival of spring with a focus on all things real estate. As I pen these words, I’m hopeful, as I’m sure you are, that spring brings us some reprieve from our record rainfall and dark skies. We prayed for this rain—and it has been delivered to us by the truckload. But, indeed, enough is enough!

Our “Construction and Real Estate” issue spans local real estate related successes dedicated to everything from improving the lives of the less fortunate to an amazing program that’s literally righting the wrongs of our past. These efforts make for a wonderful combination of projects meant to improve all our lives. And, as you’ll see, the stories sandwiched in between these are pretty tasty too!

Imagine yourself falling in love with your dream home, only to be disallowed from purchasing it because of your skin color. Decades ago, thousands of homes like this were deeded with highly restrictive covenants precluding certain races of Americans from purchasing them. Marin County Recorder/Clerk/Assessor Shelly Scott has dedicated a team to identify these properties and redact the portions of the covenants that contain blatantly racist restrictions. Over 800 have been identified in Marin alone! The State of California has awarded Shelly’s team for its efforts in removing an obvious stain from our past; our writer Judith Wilson brings these efforts to the fore to make sure they never happen again.

And while all this work has been taking place in Marin, the housing needs of displaced women in Sonoma County have been at great risk. Poorly funded, inadequately managed and on the verge of closing, two women’s shelters fell apart during the pandemic. In her story, “A New Lease on Life,” writer Bonnie Durrance introduces us to the stark reality of those women trying to rebuild their lives within dilapidated walls, moldy carpets and unkempt spaces. Sometimes just one person, or in this case, one couple, can make all the difference. Cindy and Bill Gallaher have taken it upon themselves to transform these physical structures and resurrect them into a new facility for the Athena House substance treatment program and its sober-living grounds, Hope Village. What Cindy and Bill have done for the scores of women who will benefit from these rejuvenated buildings and rehabilitation programs held within is nothing less than miraculous. And if you’re only impression of Bill Gallaher is what you might read in our local paper, what is happening at Hope Village will be all the more surprising.

Don’t be fooled; Cindy and Bill’s charitable efforts fully align with their deep sense of gratitude for all they have and their desire to share with others. They’re directed by the same compass they used to build their immediate family of both birth children and adopted children. It’s the same compass that led Cindy to build the largest adoption agency in North Bay history, and the same compass that led to making massive donations to both the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the construction of the first Boys and Girls Club in over 30 years. Knowing Bill personally, I can assure you that he’s, to put it mildly, “a handful.” Many of my friends know a lot about a few things; Bill is one of those infuriating friends who knows a lot about a lot of things, and isn’t shy about telling you so. But boy does he give great advice and has been unwavering in his support to me professionally. For Bill, no obstacle is too tall—no obstruction too hazardous. These are the keys to his unwavering quest to do what he feels is right. The Gallahers’ drive to make things right fuels their passion for creating what others may deem to be impossible. As you’ll read, resurrecting Hope Village was an obvious decision to help others. Imagine how much better life will soon be for the women and children living within those walls?

Thanks for allowing us into your homes and offices; please stay in touch with me at Lawrence@Northbaybiz.com.