We are celebrating #WomenInConstructionWeek and another one of our future Habitat homeowners, Janine, shares about her experience when it comes to Habitat build sites:
"My son and I are new Habitat family partners. My son, Brett, is 38 and disabled in a wheelchair due to brain cancer and a stroke. He has not been able to help at job sites, but is following our Habitat journey towards our future Habitat HOME closely. I grew up with a dad who owned a construction company in Miami, so at least know what a hammer is. I was also married to a roofer for 20 years.
However, I was really nervous when I was on the way to my first job site shift. I didn't know what to expect and was unsure if I was going to be much help due to a bad back and arthritis. I just happened to come on "sheet rock day", which I knew nothing about. Joe was fishing for my skills by allowing me to try different jobs -- measuring, cutting, and even operating the nail gun! So far, I've found that I work the broom better than anything. I find myself being the cleanup person which is needed also. It was very heartwarming to meet everyone and to talk to the families who were working on each other's houses.
Within an hour it hit me -- I'm one of them. We are all a family! A Habitat family. Everyone is so much help showing each other how to do different things and helping to learn new skills. This experience doesn't require professional construction skills to build a home for a family. What is needed is a family, a Habitat family. Together, we are capable of ANYTHING!"
When we say "every hand makes a difference", we truly mean it. Building each home takes a village, a Habitat village. And we are so proud of our Habitat family who help families' dreams come true!