As fitting for Mother’s Day weekend, the women (and men) from Lowe’s participated in the Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build held on Saturday May 10th 2014. This year’s theme was ‘Building on the Foundation’, and the women and men did just that. They showed their strengths by rebuilding a foundation for a future family in need. The home itself is located in the newly incorporated city of Jurupa Valley, where Habitat for Humanity Riverside has already completed dozens of new and rehab homes projects.
For the 6th year in a row, Habitat for Humanity Riverside has teamed up with women on build sites to continue having impact in communities with local partners. Having annual events such as Lowe’s Women Build grows our partnerships for years to come.
The morning began quite gloomy, but with coffee and granola bars, the team was almost ready to begin the repairs. With the opening of a prayer, introduction led by Kathy Michalak (newly appointed Habitat for Humanity Riverside Executive Director) and a review of safety on the jobsite (with Joe Michalak) the team was now ready to tackle the job.
For the third year in a row, Jurupa Valley City Council Member Laura Roughton has volunteered on a Lowe’s Women Build in Jurupa Valley. Her ‘can do’ attitude was evident by her pink steel toe boots which she wore proudly at the job site.
Maria Lazaro, one of the newest Habitat Partner Family also participated in the Lowe’s Women Build. Maria bought a Habitat home one block away and still enjoys volunteering her time revitalizing her neighborhood.
The group was divided into the three areas, the backyard, front yard and the side yard of the home. Some of the women began by removing the old crumbling stucco and replacing it with new stucco. This was done on the exterior mainly near the foundation of the home (hence ‘Building on the Foundation’). New planks of wood replaced the rotted trim and sideboards of the home. The rest of the trim on the home was stripped off of its old paint and was painted a bright yellow/vanilla color. After the new trim pieces were added around the windows, the women were given a quick tutorial of how to use a caulking gun. Caulking was used to fill the gaps between the new trim pieces and the stucco. The interior of the home received attention as well. The interior baseboards were removed by using a crowbar and hammer. In doing so, the women were careful enough to not have damaged any of the walls. The fun part began when the ladies deconstructed the rotting kitchen cabinets. They safely removed the kitchen countertops, sink and cabinets.
Towards the end of the day, although tired, the ladies felt accomplished. They proudly showed one another of the work they had finished. High fiving each other really boosted their accomplishments. The women on the job site were very meticulous of their assigned duties which was quite evident as all the cracks were filled nicely with caulking, each new trim painted and all the debris from the cabinets swept away; the team went well above and beyond!
In addition to the physical efforts on the build site, Lowe’s is donating a $5,000 Lowe’s gift card for the construction costs of the home! Thanks again Lowe’s for your continued support and having a significant impact in our community!
