Let’s Build Something Together!

Hundreds of women volunteers joined Lowe’s and Habitat for our new nationwide initiative: National Women Build Week, May 4–10, 2008!

Thousands of women volunteers have participated in Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program over the years, proving that laying bricks, pounding nails and raising walls to build a house are skills not exclusively for men.

This year, Habitat and Lowe’s – which underwrites Women Build – called women from all walks of life and all skill levels to join other women volunteers to man the tools and building materials at Habitat build sites across the country in recognition of Habitat’s National Women Build Week, May 4–10, 2008.

A total of 150 Habitat affiliates hosted build days during National Women Build Week. The event allowed Habitat to celebrate a decade worth of our volunteers’ accomplishments since the Women Build program officially began – and it also helped affiliates recruit new volunteers and increase their building capacity.

National Women Build Week was sponsored by Lowe’s. In addition to underwriting the Women Build program, Lowe’s teaches women construction skills during How-To clinics so Habitat’s women volunteers can use those skills to help eliminate poverty housing. Lowe’s also is providing participating affiliates with $5,000 grants to reward them for their one-day Women Build projects.

More than 12 million U.S. children live in poverty, and the week leading up to Mother’s Day provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase the accomplishments of Lowe’s and Habitat’s women volunteers, as well as to invite new volunteers to help partner families and transform communities. Supporting Women Build and other Habitat projects gives everyone a chance to provide people with the resources they need to improve their homes and lives.

We would like to encourage those who volunteered during National Women Build Week to stay involved. Sign-up to participate in your affiliate’s next Women Build, and become an active advocate for Habitat’s mission. We appreciate the work of our affiliates and volunteers, and we thank you for making National Women Build Week 2008 such a success!

“Find a Women Build project” – Stay involved! Visit here to search for upcoming Women Build events where you live. You can search the “Women Build” listings by state, region or date.

“Find a Habitat affiliate” – You can use this link to search for the affiliate nearest you to find out if your local Habitat affiliate participates in the Women Build program throughout the year!

National Women Build Week in the news! – Be sure to check the Women Build newsroom for a sampling of stories about National Women Build Week from media outlets all over the United States.

“Let’s build something together!”