Martha Rodriguez is from Michoacan, Mexico. Her daughter Christy was just two when they joined Martha’s husband in St. Helena
in 1995. Marta left her extended family, friends and community behind and came to Napa Valley for the same reason every immigrant comes to this country—the chance for a better life for her children. Christie is now a junior at UC Berkeley studying molecular cell biology. She comes home most weekends, however, to work on their house at Brenkle Court.
Martha’s team: Her daughters and a son-in-law
Somewhere along the way, Martha had two more daughters, became a single mom, worked hard, saw an opportunity to build her own home in St. Helena and grabbed it. The Brenkle Court families work on weekends only—they all have other jobs during the week. In order to meet the project benchmarks, each homeowner is required to have a dedicated team to meet the 30+ hours of required labor each week. Martha’s team? Her daughters and her son-in-law, Jose Luis, who’s become especially popular because for his construction experience!
For all of the Brenkle Court families, the project means seven-day work weeks
Christy, a junior at UC Berkeley, is part of her mom’s team
Working all weekend may seem daunting to many, but for Martha, “it doesn’t feel like hard work because it’s something I’ve always wanted. Having my own home in this town where I’ve raised my daughters is a dream come true.”
