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w ritten by SHERIL BE NNET T TURNER

photographed by KRIS DECKER

Most people, I’m sure, have heard of Habitat for Humanity – an international Christian-based organization whose ministry helps support

low-income families struggling to improve their housing situations. Community volunteers – along with carefully chosen future homeowners who must complete 250 hours of volunteer service or “sweat equity” for Habitat – work hand-in-hand to build quality, safe, affordable homes. What many of you may not know is that in 1999, Women Build Greenville, an off-shoot of Habitat of Greenville County, was launched with the purpose of “challenging and empowering women to help eliminate substandard housing in Greenville County by building safe, healthy housing for single mothers and grandmothers and their children.” Since then, this organization of more than 200 women volunteers has built 8 houses in all parts of Greenville County and is about to complete its ninth in Travelers Rest.

Dedicated to helping women and their children rise from poverty and take control of their lives, this all-women group of volunteers from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ages has united in this common goal. It is a chance to help one of their own, another woman who for whatever reason has fallen on hard times and is actively seeking a better life for her children. Take for example the mother with two young children who struggled in an abusive marriage and finally found the courage to take her children and leave. “God had already spoken to me and told me to trust him when I separated from my husband,” she said. “I had been living with my mother for two years when, encouraged by a friend, I applied for a Habitat home. Six weeks later, I received a letter informing me I had been chosen. It’s all about waiting for God. I thank God for my mother who encouraged me along the way and helped me with my kids while I was getting my equity hours. I also want to thank

Women Buildw ritten by SHERIL BE NNET T TURNER

photographed by KRIS DECKER

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all the people who donated funds for my house and all the women of Women Build.” Or the single grandmother who, even though she had children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her own, chose to open her heart and home to foster children, eventually adopting two of the boys. Even with ongoing health problems, this determined women worked hard to achieve the dream of a stable home for these children. Each story is different, but all of the women who have been helped by Women Build have voiced an overwhelming desire to get their children away from neighborhoods that were dangerous and environments that were unstable for their families. And ultimately, Women Build is about helping children “flourish and grow to be all that they can be.” But what started out as a mission to help other women, not surprisingly, has also turned into a way for these grandmothers, mothers and single women who volunteer to help each other. An added bonus for many of these ladies has been the chance to learn new skills in a nurturing, encouraging environment, as well an opportunity to connect with other women in the area, develop long-term friendships, and, well, have fun. In speaking with the volunteers, a lot of amazing stories – some heartwarming and inspirational, some just plain funny – were shared. Here are some of these stories.

Helen Keller, who overcame great disabilities and went on to inspire others, once wrote, “My life has been happy because I have had wonderful friends and plenty of interesting work to do. I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. The wind passes, and the flowers are content. But into the sweet night of my individual blindness has come the call – the urge of others’ need. It is as persistent as the love-note which the mother-bird hears when her nestlings are in trouble, and I know that it will never cease until I have done the utmost of which I am

capable to help others …”

And that, I think, is what the wonderful women who volunteer for Women Build – and the organizations that make their work possible – are all about. As Joy Bonoit, one of the volunteers put it, “The women of Women Build are fun, they are serious, they are patient, they are on the move; these women are hard core and wouldn’t be caught dead confined to the traditional box of womanhood (even though they clean-up very nicely). They inspire me, and I’m one of them. Anyone can be one of them.”

WOMEN BUILD NEEDS YOU!To find out how you can sponsor, donate, or become a volunteer, or if you know a woman in need of help, please visit www.womenbuildgreenville.org.

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Elizabeth LazarianSpecial Projects Coordinator for a Non-Profit Faith OrganizationCurrently, I am the President of Women Build in Greenville County (since 2005). My favorite story is from my first day EVER with Women Build in 2003. I was told to bring any other tools I owned to the build, so I brought my hammer and tape measure that I kept in a Nordstrom mail-order box that I used as my “tool box.” When I get to the site, I ask Ruthie, one of the leaders who stands about 5-feet high, “What can I do?” Looking at me with her sun-glasses on she barks, “Go nail together door and window frames.” So I pull out my hammer and start to nail a few 2x4’s together. Ruthie comes back and stands over me and says, “Honey, that’s a picture-hanging hammer! Go over to my truck and get a REAL hammer.” On my way home that night, I stopped to buy myself a REAL hammer! Ruthie and I still laugh about it…

Marilyn ClogstonAutomotive BuyerI am Co-House Leader for the construction process. My father was in construction, and while married, my ex and I built two houses together. Women Build was started as a teaching project and a forum to help women build their self-confidence and self esteem. It has been extremely rewarding to watch the project grow with numerous volunteers coming back year after year to learn more. It is the perfect project...getting exercise, enjoying the fresh air, learning new things, and helping make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate, all while having fun and much laughter. Almost every homeowner has touched me and humbled me in so many ways and given so much to all of us, whether it is new skills, new friendships, or an overall feeling that my own problems are very small compared to others.

Kylee Jean HeapC.O.O. for Gallagher Research ServiceCurrently, I am the chair of public relations and I also volunteer at the construction site. I think it’s a common misperception that you have to be a “tool belt wear-ing-Ms. fix-it type tomboy” to join our group. Reality is that the only pre-requisite to working with Women Build is a desire to learn and the willingness to work. It’s so much fun. I re-member waking up early one Saturday morning to go to my first day of volunteering on the construction site for Women Build. I thought of every excuse as to why I couldn’t and shouldn’t go. “I don’t know what I’m doing … my bed is so comfy … I’ll make an embarrassing mistake… it’s a long way to drive… no one will notice if I’m not there… I don’t have a tool belt.” But that evening, as I drove home, I called my family and friends with a story that began, “you won’t believe what I did today…”

Gayle HaginsVolunteer with Habitat and Meals on WheelsI served one year on the commit-tee. I am a member of the crew, and my job name is the “Caulking Queen.” My own special story is about my acquiring a pet on my first Women Build site. One job we do not do on these homes is the drywall. The subcontractors came one week and did their work, and then we returned the following week. The homeowner was working with us and was sure that she kept hearing a cat crying in her house. We finally found that, sure enough, a kitten had evidently hidden in the back of a tub unit, the drywall was installed, and he was “walled” in with no way out. We did get him out safely, though. His ordeal of about 10 days in a wall made him a little sickly 13-ounce baby, but he is now almost 5 years old and loved very much around my house.

Meet the Volunteers of Women Build

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Janet BradshawRealtor with RE/MAX Foothills in GreenvilleMy role in Habitat for Humanity is Family Nurturer. I am there to be a support for the family and assist them as they move forward to becoming a future homeowner. The best part about Women Build for me is the actual hammering and physical labor of building a house while coming together with such wonderful and skilled women and developing a lasting bond/relationship with the family that will occupy the house. It is all such a labor of love from everyone involved. What an awesome way to give back. The experienced women say it’s contagious, and they are right. It’’s exciting and an experience I wish everyone could take part in. You really do receive so much more than you give.

Christine WhitleyRetiredI’ve been involved in obtaining lunches, which are donated by local businesses, for the ladies on the build site. It can prove chal-lenging at times, but of course, the lunches are most appreciated. I’ve also tried my hand at roofing, installing attic stairs, insulating, siding – you name it. I’ve driven past some of those homes – years after the fact – and thought how pleased I am to have been a part of building that home.

Jennifer BloodworthExecutive AdministratorI do website support, and I am also a board member. This will be my first year volunteering on the building site. I got involved with Women Build through another member of the board. I was inter-ested in helping women improve their lives. The best part about this program is the other women that are involved and the new life that is provided with a new home for a needy family.

Doris DemkovichFusion Systems’ Project CoordinatorThis is my second year as Treasurer and this year I also coordinated the “how-to” clinics that Lowe’s holds for volunteers. Additionally I volunteer for the build. In March of ’06 I volun-teered for my first build. The first day I volunteered was also the first day of construc-tion – framing day. I had at least six women offer to let me use their hammers because they thought my hammer was the reason I was performing so poorly. No one criticized and, just as important, no one offered to do my job for me. Everyone was very encouraging and extremely patient. The satisfaction in helping to provide affordable housing for a single mother equals the feeling of empowerment.

J. Kristen SchroederMarketing Director for Leopard Forest Coffee CompanyThis is my second year as a vol-unteer builder and my first year as a staff member. Sometimes that means trying to get local restaurants to donate food for the volunteers; at other times I may conduct a Lunch-and-Learn at an area business to increase awareness about our cause. Women Build is quite a bit of fun. The 12 members of the crew have been involved with Women Build for a long time and make a great team. They are wonderful project managers, so it’s very easy to fall right in step on the build without feeling overwhelmed. They are really committed to helping women in our community and not just the future homeowners. The crew understands how to empower and inspire the volun-teers. By the end of the build, the volunteers have learned to be comfortable and confident in a construction environment.

Georgia WitherspoonHomemakerI became involved with Women Build in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2002. I had several friends who had worked for Women Build for several years and had found it to be a very rewarding experience, so I volunteered and have been doing so every year since. I work on the build one full day and help solicit meal donations for all of the lunches needed during the build as well as coor-dinate deliveries. I am also a member of the Women Build Board. I love working with the other volunteers and getting to know the new homeowner and her children.

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Maggie SchmidlerPurposefully UnemployedI volunteered on the first Women Build house in 1999 and have worked on all nine houses since. I am a crew leader and am assigned volunteers who I will direct in completing the project. Back around 2001, a little old lady showed up to volunteer. At first it was sort of like “what do we give her to do?” Well, this lady might have had a lot of years on us, but she had and

has the best spirit and outlook. She kept the houses swept and the yard clean. One year I looked down and saw her helping carry trusses – I thought I would have a heart attack! She’s in a retirement home in Columbia now, but it sounds like she is still in the” helping mode” ver-sus “being helped.” The Women Build crew has kept in contact with her,

and recently we paid her a surprise visit for her birthday.

Mildred “Fred” CampbellCargo Acceptance Agent for Delta AirlinesI help build and work with the committee to raise awareness and MONEY. I provide humor, muscles and plenty of mistakes. I remember one homeowner Women Build built for had just lost a child. Her daughter was about to graduate from high school and was killed in a car accident. She told her story one morning before we began to build. She told us how she didn’t think she could go on and began to doubt trying to own a home of her own. There was not a dry eye when she finished talking to us that day. I had the privilege of working with her some while we built their home. She may not remember me but I will never forget her. Because of her, I am eternally grateful for my family, my friends and the things that really matter. Love knows no boundaries – she lived that then and I am confident she lives it today.

Nikki GrumbineRetiredThis is my fifth build and first year as “Crew,” a level below House Leader. We, about 12 of us, help guide the new volunteers in learning the building skills. Many of us on the Crew are still novices ourselves, but learn a little bit more each year. One year, I spent 8 hours on the roof nailing shingles. I wanted to just curl up there and spend the night because I was so tired, but when I got off the roof and looked up, I saw the beauti-ful masterpiece we’d created. We were all exhausted and sunburned, but feeling mighty proud. The best thing about being a part of Women Build is knowing that we are making one of the single most significant positive changes in the lives of deserving families by helping them obtain one piece of the American Dream.

Eva PomeroyLibrarian for Greenville LibraryI have been registrar a few times, which means signing women up when they get to the site. I am a part of the committee this year and take notes at the meetings. This is my third year building with them. On site, I have learned so much that I can do a lot more than I would have attempted the first year. The women are great, though, because they are always encouraging you to try something new and stretch yourself farther. It almost seems wrong to have so much fun while still being able to make a difference in someone’s life. A home is such an im-portant thing to people and to actually be able to have a hand in building that home is just so fulfilling. I know that we all do our best to make the house perfect because we know how big an impact it will have on the family.

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Ellen ButlerSenior Secretary in the Corporate Communications Department at BI-LO, LLC.I’m on the crew that was formed the first year I came on board in 2004. My second year, I was in charge of registering the volun-teers, and one lady quietly and slowly walked up to the table. She said she wanted to help so badly but she was terrified of

heights and she suffered from anxiety at-tacks. We were putting siding on the house that day, and as we rose further up on the scaffolding, she had to stand on the first rung of the ladder in order to hand us the siding. As we moved higher, she moved up another rung of the ladder. By the end of the day she was at the top helping hold and nail siding on the house. The next year she worked up on the roof nailing shingles, and last year she started working as a Quality Assurance trainee for Habitat.

That’s what Women Build is all about – sharing, helping, and coming away feeling empowered! d

Joy BenoitOffice Manager for a Land DeveloperI worked on the committee for two years, and currently help with writing press releases. I also vol-unteer on the build. It is liberating to have the know-how to use cer-tain pieces of equipment, power tools, etc. There are so many sto-ries, like the time I was given the task of installing the hur-ricane brackets on the trusses while they were nailing OSB right above me to begin roofing (...what’d you say!!!?). And the time the crew “chiefs” showed up in wigs and bright red lipstick to celebrate one of their birthdays (how fun!). Then there’s the story about the dedication service where everyone was in tears because we had worked so hard, the homeowner had worked so hard and was so appreciative; we were complete and a life was changed forever. I LOVE what these women do and the passion behind it. They are very dedicated.