Women Build 2012 North Minneapolis home week 1

Work on Women Build’s 18 house since 1992 started the week of June 11 on the North Side of Minneapolis. The only words to describe the first week of building are simply amazing! On Monday the south wall was raised into place. By Friday June 15 all four first floor walls were not only in place but covered with Dow Styrofoam insulation. Terra, the site supervisor, had hoped to get flooring on the second floor installed by the end of the week. Despite a rain delay on Thursday, it looked like that goal would be met.

The team leader on Friday was Kate Loe, Senior Manager of Corporate & Volunteer Development at Twin Cities Habitat. By using a Friends asking Friends webpage, a new online fundraising tool, the team was able to raise $1,640 to sponsor the day. Kate’s team consisted of a group of her friends, co-workers, and family. Her mother came all the way from Appleton, WI to participate and worked alongside her mother-in-law as well. When I talked with them they were both up on scaffolding with hammers in their hands. Two other volunteers worked at the lowest level of the site. They were busy shoveling rocks that had washed into the street in Thursday’s rain. The garage is also growing. It has several courses of concrete blocks in place to form the walls.

The homebuyer, Muna Haji, was also on-site on Friday. Despite being tasked with some heavy lifting in the basement, she always had a smile on her face. Kate said, “it’s an honor for my team to work alongside Muna. We are proud to be a part of helping her family achieve the dream of homeownership.”

If you and a group of friends want to sponsor a day and volunteer together for a day on site as Kate’s team did, send an e-mail to womenbuild@tchabitat.org for the details.

Thanks to Allyson Knudsen from Wells Fargo and MaryAnn Ring from Andersen Corporation for leading their teams and providing lunch during the first week. And, a special thanks to Tersa Davis for driving through the storm on Thursday to provide lunch for the dedicated volunteers.

Lenore Harmon
Women Build Committee Member

P.S. – If you would like to help us build our two homes, we still need volunteers, lunch providers and fundraisers. And, visit the Women Build Facebook page to see or add more photos of the build’s progress.