Women Volunteers Help Build Scotts Valley Habitat Homes

The Scotts Valley Habitat for Humanity project on Blake Lane received help from women volunteers over the weekend in recognition of National Women Build Week, a nationwide initiative of Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program developed in partnership with Lowe’s.

This year’s theme of National Women Build Week, which goes from May 5-13, is “The Build Generation.” Women volunteers raised their hammers to help on the Scotts Valley build site, working alongside the three families that will be living in the townhomes being built.

More than 15 women and the future homeowners worked on framing the second and third townhomes on Blake Lane. Construction started on the three Scotts Valley townhomes in September and should be completed by early spring of 2013. The homes are the 35th, 36th, and 37th projects constructed by Habitat for Humanity Santa Cruz County in the past 23 years.

“The construction trades have been traditionally dominated by men but times are changing,” said David Foster, executive director for Habitat for Humanity Santa Cruz County. “For our local Habitat affiliate a majority of our Board of Directors and our staff are women, and our volunteer base has a growing percentage of women. National Women Build Week provides us an opportunity to recognize the incredible contribution that women make to this organization and to re-commit ourselves to the recruitment and training of women for all levels of involvement. Building affordable homes is what we are about and that process requires a new generation of volunteers who are no longer bound by restrictions based on gender.”

Lowe’s, underwriter of Habitat’s Women Build program, has committed more than $1.3 million to National Women Build Week, which is one of the major initiatives supported through Lowe’s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat. As the underwriter of the Women Build program since 2004, Lowe’s conducts “How-To” clinics at stores to teach women construction skills, enabling them to support Habitat projects across the country. Habitat for Humanity Santa Cruz County and Lowe’s of South San Jose hosted a “How-To” clinic to prepare the women volunteers to build on the Scotts Valley Blake Lane project.

“Lowe’s has been the proud sponsor of Habitat’s Women Build program since 2004,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “Women Build encourages women from all ages and walks of life to pick up their hammers and build affordable homes alongside local families. Lowe’s salutes all the women volunteers who take time to build this week and values the difference Lowe’s and Habitat are making in the lives of families across the nation.”