Women Help Build Habitat for Humanity Home

The work of Habitat for Humanity hits home in every community in Fairfield County.

Earlier this month, staff members of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County (Habitat CFC) joined with volunteers from the local Lowe’s Home Improvement store and other Women Build supporters to mark the fourth annual National Women Build Week. Volunteers spent the day constructing the walls of a handicap accessible Habitat home to be built in Bridgeport this year.

Special guest volunteers included Mary Himes, wife of Congressman Jim Himes, and Lowe’s team leader, Alexandra Annelli, of the Milford Lowe’s store. In addition, Stratford resident Eileen Bakos, a Habitat CFC staffer and Women Build co-chair, played a big role.

Women Build is a national program of Habitat for Humanity International and has been underwritten by Lowe’s since 2004. The program encourages and empowers women to make a difference by building homes and communities. Women Build volunteers raise funds to sponsor homes that they take part in building.

In Fairfield County, the Women Build program is currently raising $250,000 in support of their seventh sponsored home with Habitat CFC. The home is one of eight townhouse units being constructed on West Main Street in Stamford. The future homeowner is a single mom and native Stamford resident. As all Habitat partner families are required to do, she will invest 500 hours of sweat equity into her home and upon completion, will purchase it at cost and repay a 30-year 0 percent mortgage.

Lowe’s is providing a $5,000 grant to fund Women Build and also offered an in-store, how-to clinic to train women volunteers in support of the one-day Women Build.

In the U.S., more than 70 percent percent of Habitat’s homes are built with women as heads-of-household. By receiving training as part of the Women Build program, they are better equipped to maintain their homes for themselves and their children.

“The day I spent with a Women Build group building wall panels for a Habitat for Humanity home was fun and empowering,” said Mary Himes. “Working with a group of women created a supportive environment where we could learn new skills, however basic, and feel good about our progress. It also allowed us to try new things: I got to use a circular saw to cut out window openings. To know that this was helping a single mom have a safe home made the day even more special. I can't wait to go back and build some more.”

To learn more about how you can get involved in Habitat CFC’s Women Build program, call 203-333-2642 or visit www.habitatcfc.org