Ladies, pick up your hammers. The Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity and Lowe”s are holding a Women Build event in Columbus Tuesday, May 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In the days leading up to Mother”s Day, volunteer female construction crews all across the country will be pounding nails and raising walls at Habitat for Humanity sites in recognition of National Women Build Week May 1-9.
The Columbus site on South Pickensville Road is being built for a family who lost their home in a Jan. 8 fire. This will be the 36th build for the local agency established in 1989, and the third Women Build event. Shifts will be from 8 a.m. to noon and noon to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided by the First United Methodist Church men”s group.
Women Build
Developed through a partnership with Lowe”s and Habitat for Humanity, National Women Build Week challenges women to devote at least one day to the effort to eliminate poverty housing.
The Mother”s Day time frame was selected for its significance to many volunteers, as families with children make up a staggering number of those in need of adequate housing. More than 12 million children — one in six — live in poverty housing in the United States alone. To date, women volunteers have built nearly 1,700 Habitat houses nationwide.
As part of the requirements, Habitat families contribute hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” working with volunteers to help build their home. Habitat for Humanity then sells the home to the partner family at cost and finances the loan for a period of 15-20 years, interest free.
Lowe”s is committing more than $1 million to National Women Build Week, providing $5,000 Lowe”s store gift cards and event support materials to 200 Habitat affiliates.
This is a major initiative of Lowe”s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat, a commitment including underwiting of the Women Build program, as well as providing construction know-how at in-store clinics and build sites and funding for a variety of Habitat projects across the country.
Interested volunteers are asked to contact Kathy Arinder at the Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity office, 662-329-2501, or e-mail [email protected], as soon as possible. For safety concerns, the number of volunteers that can be accepted is limited. Donations to the project are also welcomed.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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