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Impact Mar 07, 2023
Volunteers take part in Women Build. | Photo courtesy of SGV Habitat for Humanity
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In observance of Women’s History Month, San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity will launch the annual Women Build event on Friday and Saturday in Altadena, the organization announced.
Women Build provides opportunities to participate in homebuilding activities throughout March. Volunteers learn new skills, trade inspiration and help construct stronger, safer communities, according to SGV Habitat.
“The Women Build is an SGV Habitat tradition that honors the efforts being done to break down the barriers to homeownership that many women have faced,” SGV Habitat CEO Bryan Wong said in a statement. “We are proud to be expanding this event throughout the month of March this year, allowing even more volunteers to participate as we celebrate this movement that is empowering women and inspiring change.”
Women Build started in 1991 and has sought to bring “women and their allies together to raise funds, recruit their friends and build homes side-by-side with those in need of affordable housing,” according to SGV Habitat. “Given these tools, women can create real change in their communities. To date, the Women Build event has helped house families in Glendale, Pasadena, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, Monrovia, and throughout the San Gabriel Valley through volunteering, donations, and advocacy.”
This year’s Women Build event also commemorates the first SGV Habitat house being built in Altadena, according to an SGV Habitat statement. Last year over 100 volunteers helped build a couple of three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes in Pasadena that are now home to two families.
“The goal of Women Build is to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against bias, and take action for equality while providing opportunities for hands-on learning,” according to SGV Habitat. “While Women Build focuses on the inclusion of women in the work of building homes, the event does not exclude volunteers of any gender or gender identity.”
Groups and individual volunteers can sign up to work on a Women Build shift at sgvhabitat.org/get-involved/volunteer/ — no building experience needed, but volunteers must be older than age 16.
Volunteers who lend a hand during the two-day opening weekend receive a Women Build tee-shirt and nail apron, breakfast and lunch, “along with the pride of raising walls and awareness of the challenges women face accessing safe, affordable housing,” according SGV Habitat. “For those not comfortable swinging a hammer, there will be ‘hospitality volunteer’ opportunities as well, so everyone has a chance to get involved.”
SGV Habitat also encourages people to donate in honor of an inspiring woman they know or admire. A donation helps the organization “continue the work of helping women, families and neighbors achieve their goals of homeownership and financial stability.”
Funds raised support SGV Habitat’s three-year, $28 million Expanding the American Dream Campaign, which is now in its third and final year, according to the organization. Donations can be made online at sgvhabitat.org/get-involved/womenbuild/.
Sponsors for this year’s Women Build event are East West Bank, C.W. Driver Companies, Traveler’s Insurance, US Bank and predecessor Union Bank, Stanley Black & Decker, PFAR and Honeybee Robotics to support the event, according to SGV Habitat.
Businesses interested in becoming a sponsor of Women Build can find sponsorship information at sgvhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/01/Women-Build2023.pdf.
More information on SGV Habitat’s 2023 Women Build event is available online — sgvhabitat.org/get-involved/womenbuild/ or by calling 626-387-6899.
