Women Build 2009 week 5 update

The sky was slightly overcast when I arrived at the Women Build house last Wednesday, but the sunny yellow scaffolding brightened the surroundings, and immediately I noticed how far the volunteers had come on siding the house in the few days that had passed since my previous visit. Betsy confirmed that they were really flying and doing a great job. She checked the time and said that their framing inspection was scheduled for that morning, and once they got the okay they’d start filling the walls with insulation. After that they’d start on the plastic vapor barrier, and once that was done they could begin to install the sheetrock. Hard to believe the build had started just a month earlier! The inside of the house looked fantastic as volunteers were clearing out various buckets and boxes and sweeping up dirt and sawdust. It was the cleanest construction site I’d ever seen and made me realize how much I needed to clean my own non-construction site. I wonder if I could get volunteers to do that…

I loved getting to talk to crew leader Sheila Kennedy, who, with her partner Bonita Jenkins, traveled from Montana to be a part of TCHFH’s Women Build project. Turns out they had met some TCHFH’ers on a Global Village trip and decided they wanted to be a part of our awesome Women Build as well (apparently we’ve got a great reputation!). Thanks, Sheila and Bonita, for bringing your skills and enthusiasm to Minnesota.

As always, mega thanks go out to last week’s Team Leaders – Jill Harmon, SEIU Healthcare MN, and Best Buy. And lots of applause for the Lunch Providers Debbie LaMotte, Susan Kirchstein & the Women of Inspiration (two days in a row!), and Sandi Powell.

I’m looking forward to my next trip to site to see all the progress being made and to meet some more awesome, dedicated, strong, and compassionate women.

Take care,
Andrea

Andrea Cole
2009 Women Build Committee Member
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

P.S. - Tuesday, July 14 was SEIU Healthcare MN’s Team Leader Day. Kristin Beckmann, TCHFH’s Government & Community Relations Director spent the day on site with the group. She also created a short video documenting the work that was done for the day. Click HERE to view the video on YouTube.