Over 100 women came together with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento to help build and raise the second story walls on a new Habitat for Humanity home for the Belisau family this week as part of National Women Build Week.
Each day from May 4th-7th, a different group of women would pose in front of the massive Rosie the Riveter sign (a gift from the ReStore Manager) before rolling up their sleeves to give back to their community and join their 17,000 sisters in green all across the country in helping build homes and raise awareness on the importance of affordable housing.
In honor of their Women Build sponsor, Sacramento kicked off their Women Build Week with a team of Lowe’s Heroes that included various representatives from the local stores. While for some this may have been their first Women Build, many Lowe’s heroes came to the build decked out in pink, red, and purple (proudly displaying their previous Women Build t-shirts).
“We look forward to being a part of this every year!” said one Lowe’s Hero, Elizabeth Head.
With a strong start thanks to the ladies of Lowes, Day 2 of Women Build was ready to meet the challenge! Habitat partner homeowner Jen Sousa who moved into her home in 2011 put together a team of colleagues from Nugget Market to join in the action along with several other Women Build volunteers from across the community, as well as the ladies of Youth Build , one of the sponsors of the home. Amidst a brief rain storm, the ladies stayed strong as they prepared the home for walls to be raised the day following.
In a Good Day Sacramento television interview Jen reflected on the importance of continuing to give back saying, “I live right around the corner from here and it’s forever changed our lives…We continue to volunteer with this program to continue to give back because it has a ripple effect.”
(Habitat Homeowner Jen Sousa with Day 2 Women Build volunteers)
By Day 3 and 4, even amidst the rain and storm, Sacramento’s Women Build volunteers pushed on to great heights to raise the second story walls of the Belisau family’s new home.
(Day 3 Women Build volunteers raising the second story walls.)
Ashley Teeter, a single Mom and new partner family on her first day of sweat equity, paused from hammering siding as she watched her fellow Women Build Volunteers raise the first set of second story walls.
“I’ve lived in apartments all my life,” said Ashley, “But my kids are going to have something different. One day we’re going to raise walls on my home and my kids are going to have a place of their own for the first time in their lives.”
(Habitat Board Vice Chair Susan Sheridan and Future Habitat Homeowner Ashley Teeter)
From all of us at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, we’d like to thank you to our incredible #WomenBuild volunteers who came out to help us this week, our generous sponsor Lowe’s for providing us with this amazing opportunity to bring women in our community together to build homes as well as the West Sacramento Lowe’s for hosting our clinic, and to our local Arden Fair Chick-fil-a for generously providing lunches for all of our volunteers and families. What an incredible week!
