Women Build 2012 St. Paul home week 4

Pounding and buzzing carried through the cool, crisp, October air as I pulled up on site last Thursday. It was a busy week with the plumber on site and the women build crews working hard to get the house closed in.

Leading a portion of these critical installments was longtime volunteer, Congresswoman Betty McCollum. Her team of women from her campaign was very “can do” as they built the final two second floor bedroom walls. The rest of her team installed the remaining second floor exterior sheathing and the roof’s decking. This will help close in the house a bit and make it a lot warmer with the cold wind being blocked. Once the windows and exterior doors are installed the house will be ready for the electrician and the next steps toward completion inside – insulation, vapor barrier, drywall, etc.

Congresswoman McCollum has been a supporter of TCHFH for over 12 years and she believes that Women Build is a wonderful way for women to learn something new and become more self-reliant in their homes. This is part of the reason she brought her campaign team to work with us, but it also turned out to be a great team building opportunity and a chance for them to learn more about the work TCHFH does and the impact it has. The team’s time on site was a great way to give back to their community and to celebrate the selfless contributions of others.

Aleta, a first time volunteer, assisted on the building of the second floor walls. She had been looking for volunteer opportunities and found out about Women Build through word of mouth. Aleta wanted to do something fun and productive for her community in her free time. Women Build fulfilled both of those desires and she said she will definitely come back out in the future.

In addition to lots of individual volunteers, we extend a special thanks to our Team Leader Day sponsors who brought us crews of women from their companies – Xcel Energy and Lowe’s. Lowe's is the underwriter of the Women Build program and has been a national partner of Habitat for Humanity since 2003. Their ongoing support for Women Build is invaluable! Thanks also to Cheryl Regan who provided lunch for the volunteers on Friday.

We’re getting close to being fully enclosed – just in time for the cooler weather. Grab a friend and join us on site. A day with Women Build is fun and rewarding!

Cindy “CJ” Fitzsimons
Women Build Committee Member