Move over, Bob the Builder – it’s Bernadette’s turn.
Habitat for Humanity National Women Build Week is May 2-10, and across the U.S. women are turning out in droves to get their hands dirty. Since its induction in 2008, around 13,500 women have volunteered through the program.
At the Women Build home in Fairview, friendly worksite banter is frequently punctuated by the loud “POP POP POP” of nail guns while buzz saws drone in the background. Jennifer Aric’s future home looks like a hive swarmed by hot pink worker bees, armed to the antennas with caulk and power tools. Some are veteran volunteers. Others are greenhorns. Even Mrs. Tennessee is installing siding. These women (and a few men) have all come to lend a helping hand.
When a rental was foreclosed upon without warning, Aric’s family spiraled into chaos. Shortly after she made the decision to apply for a Habitat house. She was shocked when she heard back the same day she submitted her application.
“By five o’clock I got a call,” she said.
Birthdays, Christmases and a place for her nine children and three grandchildren to gather and make memories are the priceless tokens that come from her new home.
“It’s stability, because it’s yours. Now we have a home, and a yard.”
Every weekend Aric is putting in her (continue reading)