The 2016 Homes for the Holidays Tour in Portage la Prairie raised $18,750 for Habitat for Humanity.

The annual event saw five Portage area homes dressed up with Christmas cheer in November and opened for tours. Committee members Dana Geisel and Tracy Vanstone donated the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity yesterday.

"They certainly help us do what we set out to do, and that's to build houses," says Habitat steering committee chair Charlie Clifford. "This year we're building two houses, so this will help us out a lot."

"...(Homes for the Holidays) is our biggest fundraiser, so they're very valuable," continues Clifford. "And it's not only the money. The interest they generate with their project really helps us a lot too."

Geisel says the 2016 fundraising total was up slightly from 2015. Over the past 12 years, Homes for the Holidays has raised over $200,000 in support of Habitat for Humanity.

"It means a lot in our community to be able to reach out," Geisel adds. "It's not a hand-out, it's a hand-up. It's helping people help themselves have a home. And that's why in Homes for the Holidays, we open up our homes so other people can have that opportunity as well."