More than 15 women volunteered on a Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County construction site earlier this month in recognition of National Women Build Week. Now in its sixth year, National Women Build Week challenges women to devote at least one day to help repair or build affordable housing in their local communities.
The volunteers worked to provide weatherization services and exterior repairs to a home owned by a single mother with three children. While new siding was being installed by volunteers, other volunteers worked on landscaping and yard maintenance.
“Everyone had a wonderful time working together to do something with tangible results,” said Jennifer Sheehan, interim executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County. “The sense of camaraderie was palpable. And the volunteers especially enjoyed getting to work alongside the partner family who benefits from this project. That’s the best part of the Habitat experience—the ability to work side by side while providing a hand up, not a hand out.”
Lowe’s donated a $5,000 store gift card to HFHAC and $1.75 million to the 2013 National Women Build Week to support 300 participating affiliates. National Women Build Week is one of the major initiatives supported through Lowe’s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat. As the underwriter of the Women Build program since 2004, Lowe’s conducts how-to clinics at stores to teach women construction skills and provides the support of Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers to build homes with partner families across the country.
“Lowe’s has underwritten Habitat’s Women Build program since 2004, and we are proud to continue to bring together women from all walks of life to raise walls alongside local families in need,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “We thank our Lowe’s Heroes and the thousands of volunteers who will help strengthen communities throughout the country this week.”
The U.S. Census Bureau reports more than 16 million children are living in poverty in the United States. Nearly 48 percent of the children reside with women heads-of-household. Habitat’s Women Build program recruits, educates, and inspires women to build and advocate for simple, decent, and affordable homes in their communities.
Since Habitat’s Women Build Program was created in 1998, more than 2,100 Habitat for Humanity Women Build houses have been constructed in partnership with low-income families. Nearly 41,000 women from all 50 states have volunteered in the five previous events.
For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program, and to learn about Women Build projects in communities across the U.S., visit www.Habitat.org/wb or the National Women Build Week tab on http://www.facebook.com/habitat.
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