Six homeowners in the Bird Rock community will open their doors on Jan. 28, welcoming guests to peek into their homes and discover the distinctive style, unique charm and abundance of creative design inspiration inside their four walls. And it’s all for a good cause — to ensure a bright future for Bird Rock Elementary School and its students. The annual Bird Rock Home Tour originally began in 2004 as a community event with no fundraising aspect associated with the tour. After a year’s hiatus, Michelle Fulks was determined to bring the tour back in a way that extended the community benefit to Bird Rock Elementary School, which suffered from budget cuts along with many other schools in the county. “This year, more than each prior year, the parents are having to fill in,” Fulks said. “Fundraisers like this and other things the community can do to support the school benefit the kids and the community.” With school budget cuts deeper than ever this year, the fundraising goal for this year’s event has to reflect that deficit. “We have raised over $9,000 that we have presented to the elementary school each year,” she said. “This year, I anticipate reaching a goal of $10,000.” The self-guided tour, co-chaired by Fulks and Celeste Trudeau, provides community members with the opportunity to get out of their own homes, mix and mingle with neighbors, and soak in design ideas for their own homes and gardens. “The reason people come out to the home tour is because people love their homes,” Fulks said. “They’re looking to see how other people live and get creative ideas for themselves and their own remodels.” Kitchen pot-filler faucets, floor heaters in master bathrooms, and out-of-the box ways to utilize space with unique wine cellars or racks are just some of the innovative design ideas guests have picked up on the tours over the years. “We try to vary the external architecture so we don’t have six Spanish-style homes or six beach cottages. We make them as diverse as possible,” she said. The homes are not revealed until the day of the event, but Fulks did divulge that the six homes this year are of the utmost quality and style. In addition to gathering home ideas and providing support for the local elementary school, Fulks said the event gives neighbors a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful, tight-knit community in which they live. “You’ll see people — young, old, families, couples without children — out and about, riding their bikes, and bumping into neighbors,” she said. “It truly is a feel-good community event. It focuses on pride of ownership, beautiful homes, and great contractors.” Lead tour sponsor Golba Architects — Tim Golba’s award-winning residential and architectural design firm based in Pacific Beach — is making the event possible again this year. “He has been our lead sponsor for the last five years, and he has been such a great supporter of the event each year,” said Fulks. Additionally, Girard Avenue Collection is collaborating its tour sponsorship with a milestone celebration this year. For the interior furnishing company’s 15th anniversary celebration, Girard Avenue Collection will be donating a percentage of proceeds from its two-day anniversary sale on Jan. 28 and 29 to Bird Rock Elementary School as well. Witt Lincoln will also add to the fundraising by showcasing a new Lincoln automobile outside of each featured home on the tour for visitors to explore Lincoln’s latest line of models. Other tour sponsors include Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Lele’s Cleaners, Willis Allen Realtor Linda Daniels, Shustak Frost & Partners Law Firm, Tony Parker General Builders, Inc., Bird Rock’s local UPS store and Wells Fargo Bank. Tickets can only be purchased on the day of the event at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, located at 5627 La Jolla Blvd. There, participants will be provided with a wristband, shoe covers and a pamphlet that includes a description of the home and a map. Tickets can be purchased starting at 11 a.m. for $25 per person or $20 with a Bird Rock Community Council membership. The self-guided tour will run until 3 p.m. Photography is not permitted and shoe covers must be worn prior to entering each home, said tour organizers. For more information about the event, call (858) 775-8500 or visit www.birdrock.org.