Habitat For Humanity Organization

Christmas came early this year to some in Orange County. On a recent Saturday morning, about 30 local families were treated to an exclusive sale of furniture donated to Habitat for Humanity from the posh Westwood Marquis Hotel and Gardens. Families came to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Santa Ana to buy couches for $75 and 27-inch televisions for $175. More than 300 pieces of furniture were sold, raising $10,500 for the nonprofit organization that builds homes for low-income families.

Jonah Lehrer put down his paint roller and wiped the sweat off his brow. With his solid oak Vaughn hammer swinging from a tool belt wrapped around his hips, the slightly built teenager descended the stairs of the two-story house he was painting and walked the short distance to an identically designed house around the corner.

No wonder workers who signed up to help build houses for poor people were ready to start hammering bright and early Friday. The "volunteers" were summer interns and job candidates jockeying for positions with the big-time Los Angeles accounting firm that organized the event. "They basically said, 'If you don't come come, you're fired.' " . . .