Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys has announced that it will honor Princess Cruises and the Princess Cruises Community Foundation at the annual Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball on Friday, February 24.

Also to be honored, will be seven surviving Santa Clarita veterans of World War II. The funds raised at the event will be used to complete the remaining 24 homes of a 78-home neighborhood for low-income veterans in Santa Clarita. The event will take place at the Universal Sheraton Hotel in Universal City, CA.

Princess will receive the Hammer of Hope Award, Habitat’s highest honor, which is presented to extraordinary individuals or entities who are leaders in their fields and communities – specifically those who serve veterans and low-income families seeking to enter the middle class. Past recipients include Anheuser Busch, Home Depot, Citibank, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, The Gas Company, Primestor, and many others.

Accepting the award on behalf of Princess will be its President, Jan Swartz. Princess is a longtime sponsor of Habitat for Humanity SF/SCV and as recently as this coming February will be hosting a TEAM Build at which Princess employees will spend the day building veteran homes.

WW II veterans being honored with a special tribute at the event are Lou Brousseau, Cal Erickson, Rex Gribble, Lloyd Lubensky, Richard Roelof, Lee Shulman, and Tom Tucker.

Completion of the veteran neighborhood in Santa Clarita will bring Habitat’s total to over 400 homes to date. Next year, they begin building 56 more Veteran homes in Palmdale and 12 Veteran homes in North Hollywood. What makes the Habitat affiliate even more special is their belief that in order for families to truly be successful, affordable housing must include a supportive environment that encourages self-sufficiency in a neighborhood culture. This program, called the Enriched Neighborhood® model, provides no-cost programs such as financial training, health and wellness programs, and social services that are easily accessible in the neighborhoods where the families live. This allows their families to become self-sufficient and learn skills and necessary tools to move out of the endless cycle of poverty housing and into the middle class. These programs are especially cherished by returning veterans as they seek the comfort of others returning from service and the strength to reintegrate successfully into their community at home.

This year’s event will be chaired by Karen Brown, Sr. Vice President of First Bank, and hosted by actress Alison Haislip, sideline commentator for ABC’s “Battlebots” and celebrated pop culture TV, podcasting and webcasting personality. Additional celebrities and performers for the event will be announced.