One Hard Hat in Pink, Please

Can you swing a hammer? Turn a screwdiver? Building a home may be easier than you think! Consider volunteering at a Women Build event for Habitat for Humanity. Sponsored by Lowe's, this Habitat for Humanity program empowers women while helping provide housing for people who may not otherwise be able to obtain the dream of home ownership.

As a child, I spent entertaining hours pounding nails into my father's workbench with his hammer, much to his annoyance when he would later come in to find fifteen bent nails sticking out of the top of the bench. However, my construction skills never passed that stage. I reached adulthood without knowing much about how easy most building projects can be. All it took was Luis, my ever patient husband, showing me how easy most building projects can be to give me the confidence to tackle things on my own. Now, I am still content to let him mud and tape drywall when we build a new wall in our home, but it is satisfying to decide to rearrange my kitchen cabinets or lay tile in our mudroom and know that I have the skills to do it myself.

If you are a woman who feels inept with tools and household projects, I would strongly encourage you to look for a Women Build event near you. You will be welcomed warmly, and you can learn a new skill. Take a step out of your comfort zone to come out, learn something new, meet some new people and help build a home for someone in your community.

If you already know your way around a drill driver and air nailer, Habitat for Humanity can certainly use your help. Come to a Women Build event to help other women learn these skills and put your talent to good use.

Women are always welcome at any Habitat for Humanity build, but if you are feeling like a fish out of water at a construction site, a Women Build event can be a good place start.

Visit Habitat for Humanity's Women Build page for more information and a directory of events near you. Green County does not have a Women Build event going on, but if you can make a short 45 minute drive, both Janesville and Madison are doing Women Build projects.