Earlier this year, Zappos launched a new benefit for our team members through a non-profit organization called the Hope Home Foundation. This organization is locally based and helps our employees find their perfect home or apartment by offering financial education, coaching, and even down payment assistance!

This past week, one Zapponian who took advantage of this program just signed the papers and received the keys to his very first home! The Zappos Benefits team along with a few folks from the Hope Home Foundation congratulated Matt T. on this huge milestone.

We asked Matt a couple of questions about his home shopping experience with the help of HOPE Home Foundation:

When did your journey to home ownership start and what made you decide to purchase a home rather than rent?

M: I started looking for a home in late May and really got serious in early June. I had rented since college and always dreamed of owning a home. The housing market is Vegas was really hit hard in 2008 and it finally became feasible for me to buy a home at the current prices and interest rates. I figured this was as good a time as any to buy a home and decided to see what was out there!

How did you get in touch with the HOPE foundation?

M: Bhawna (from the Zappos Benefits team) and I are friends and I take the yoga class she set up at work. I happened to mention I was looking at buying a home. She said she had this cool program called the Hope Home Foundation and they work with Zappos employees. My interest was really piqued when Bhawna mentioned I may be eligible for down payment assistance.  The rest was history!

How did they make the home buying experience easier for you?

M: I really knew nothing about home buying when entering the program. Dawn, the HOPE foundation director, hooked me up with Tanya, my realtor and Melissa, my loan officer. The framework was all in place before I even came along which was cool. I was concerned about home buying because I didn’t want to get taken advantage of but immediately after meeting everyone over there I knew I was in the right place. They honestly want to help new home owners with finding a new home and improving the Las Vegas community. I’m really still amazed with how much they are dedicated to helping people.

Now that you have the keys in your hands, how does it feel to be a first-time homeowner?

M: Pretty awesome. Instead of throwing my money away every month in rent, I can reinvest into my new home. I have a lot of ideas with how I can really make my house a home and am very excited to experiment!

It’s no secret that we have some amazing benefits as being part of the Zappos Family. From free health insurance, to wellness fairs and workshops, our Benefits team definitely takes great care of all of us!

But did you know that we also have an added adoption benefit? Zappos.com has recently earned a spot on the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s 2011 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List, due to the great adoption reimbursement benefit we are offered.

Many adoption-related costs, such as attorney fees, application fees, travel and adoption counseling, are eligible for a $6,000 reimbursement under this amazing benefit.

Baby Theo, Dwight and family

Dwight J., one of our Zappos Kentucky Family members, recently added a new member to his family by way of adoption. We decided to ask him a couple of questions about his experience, and how the adoption benefits played a role in the process of finding their new baby boy.

How long ago did your adoption journey begin?

D: We started our journey about 2 years ago and in between that time we had experienced 2 failed adoptions. 

What deciding factors led you to choose adoption?

D: We always knew that we would eventually adopt, since there are so many children out there that need good homes.

When you finally met your son Theodore, what was that moment like?

D: It was absolutely the most joyous moment of our lives. Theodore almost didn't make it through the birth, so it was also an extremely intense ride, too. Here was this little 5 pound 13 ounce human being that I was going to help raise into a man. That is a pretty awesome feeling.

In what ways did the company benefit towards adoption help you in the whole process?

D: Those who have gone through the adoption process know about how expensive it can be. Any, I mean any help that you receive financially is a huge bonus. This benefit allowed us to pay some of the legal fees and travel fees during the time of the adoption. We are very fortunate to have this benefit at Zappos, and not many employers offer it.

What’s your favorite part about being a new dad to your son?

D: Wow, where to start? I love seeing the development process each and every day. No matter how bad your day may be, when you come home and see your son and his smile, it just makes everything else go away. I like to shop for him as well; he has a nice tennis shoe collection already! More importantly, the best part is being able to share this experience with my wife, Rebecca, and also our friends and family who have been with us and supported us throughout this entire journey.

In an effort to stay healthy and have fun during breaks, our wonderful Benefits team designed a parcourse around Zappos HQ for everyone to partake in. This is just another way we infuse a little fun into our days in the office…while getting in our exercise at the same time!

A few Zapponians partaking in a unique and stress-busting laughter yoga class.

As part of Health Awareness Month here at the Zappos HQ, our amazing Benefits Team has put together tons of classes and screenings that pertain to our physical, mental and even financial health. From vision screenings, credit score seminars to cholesterol testing, we’re really lucky to have such an array of services made available to us as part of an ongoing preventative program.

This Tuesday, they hosted a “laughter yoga” class. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, laughter yoga is meant to release “feel-good” hormones called endorphins, which in turn boost positive state of mind, optimism and helps strengthen the immune system. With all those awesome benefits, laughter yoga is definitely nothing to laugh at!

Every month at the Las Vegas office, the members of the Zappos.com OCM look through employee bonus referrals to find the one most deserving of the Zappos Hero award. The Zappos Hero award is only given to 12 Nevada team members, and 12 Kentucky Team members a year, so you can imagine how proud we were to find out our very own Melissa L. was awarded this prestigious honor. Great job Melissa, you're our Hero!