Women to take over Habitat during Women Build Week
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on May 1, 2016 1:45 AM
The Goldsboro-Wayne Habitat for Humanity and Lowe's will welcome women across the county to a construction site at 707 National Drive Thursday through Saturday as part of the ninth annual National Women Build Week.
Originally launched in 2008, National Women Build Week is designed to help give women a place in the largely male-dominated construction field while also building community and working for a good cause. Goldsboro-Wayne is one of more than 300 Habitat organizations taking part in the event, which has drawn more than 80,000 women from all over the country since its inception. If the Goldsboro-Wayne event brings in 50 volunteers over its three days, it will earn Habitat for Humanity a $5,000 grant from Lowe's.
Matt Whittle, executive director of the Goldsboro-Wayne Habitat for Humanity, said that many people who apply for housing through Habitat are single mothers, which makes Women Build Week more meaningful.
"It gives women in the community a chance to rally around them in a way that's really special." he said.
Laurie Kaglic, with the National Association of Women in Construction, said that the Women Build Week helps put a spotlight on construction industry for women.
"It opens up eyes to the opportunities out there." she said. "It shows women a career that may not have even been on their radar to begin with. They may not have ever thought about this, and it shows them that this is a viable option."
Whittle said that building with Habitat is an experience unlike any other. Although no prior construction experience is required, all those who participate will work hard.
"It's a fun event, it's an opportunity for folks to go out and do something different." Whittle said. "You are working though. It's not easy, but it's good. I've never seen anyone leave that construction site saying 'I wish I hadn't done that,' and we have a fair number of repeat volunteers."
National Women Build Week is itself a part of the larger "Home for the Holidays" program by Habitat and Lowe's. The nationwide initiative works with 1,000 families across the country to help them attain quality living conditions before the holidays. This includes both repairing existing structures and constructing new ones.
Whittle said that the real appeal of working on a Habitat construction site is the visible, tangible nature of what your work produces.
"At the end of the day, you can leave that site seeing that you did something. You get connected to the homes you build, and it creates a sense of ownership in the community." he said.
Ms. Kaglic said that the Women Build Week is a strong combination of community activism and female empowerment.
"Helping the community is important," she said, "and promoting women is important, and it all comes together in this event."