Save the Date(s)!

The 2015 Flower City Habitat for Humanity Women Build is here and we couldn’t be more excited to continue our mission of providing a hand up (not a hand out) to families in need right here in Rochester. We have some dates for all of our fantastic volunteers to mark on your calendars!

2014 Ground Breaking

(Not a volunteer yet? Email rocwomenbuild@gmail.com to learn how to get involved.)

Kick-Off Orientations

We have a lot of changes in store this year, so you’re all invited to one of our ALL VOLUNTEER Kick-Off Orientations. Whether you’re new to Flower City Habitat Women Build, or an experienced volunteer, a Team Leader, or a team member, we strongly encourage everyone to attend one of the following sessions to help ensure you have all the information you need for a successful year of fundraising and building.

Pittsford Community Library
24 State Street
Pittsford, NY 14534
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 6:00 PM

Click Here to RSVP for the April 14th Kick Off Session

-or-

Henrietta Public Library
455 Calkins Road
Rochester, NY 14623
Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Click Here to RSVP for the April 18th Kick Off Session

If you are unable to attend either of these sessions please see your team leader for more information.

All team leaders should attend the Team Leader Kick Off at Flower City Habitat for Humanity, 755 Culver Road, Rochester, NY 14609, at 10:00 AM on April 25, 2015. If you are unable to attend, please email rocwomenbuildhelp4u@gmail.com.

A National Women Build Week Celebration in Portland, OR

National Women Build Day Celebration

May 9, 2015  – Join us to celebrate National Women Build Day here in Rochester as other Women Build programs throughout the country do the same. More details to come, but mark your calendar and plan to bring the whole family!

ROC Women Build Week

July 21-25, 2015 – New for 2015, we’ll be hosting a building extravaganza this July as 90 Rochester women come together to build homes for families in need. Email rocwomenbuildhelp4u@gmail.com to find out how your team can participate in this event.

Calling All Volunteers!

Flower City Habitat for Humanity Women Build is seeking new volunteers to learn new skills, build houses, and change lives for mothers and children here in Rochester.

New to Women Build? Attend one of our upcoming information sessions listed below and meet some of our builders!

Already a volunteer? Share this post and the flyer below with your friends and family and stay tuned for more information about our Kick-Off Meetings in April 2015!

Want to get more involved? We have openings on several of our sub-committees.
Check out the job descriptions below and let us know if you’re interested – we’d love to have you!

New Volunteers:

Learn how to start or join a team at one of the following info sessions:

Henrietta Public Library
455 Calkins Road
Rochester, NY 14623
March 10th at 6pm

Pittsford Community Library
24 State Street
Pittsford, NY 14534
March 18th at 6pm

Flower City Habitat
755 Culver Road
Rochester, NY 14609
March 19th at 6pm

Gates Public Library
902 Elmgrove Road
Rochester, NY 14624
March 24th at 6pm

Help Wanted!

The Flower City Habitat Women Build program is run primarily by volunteers. We’re taking on more of the program operation this year and as such are looking for more volunteers to join our sub-committees:

MARKETING SUB-COMMITTEE – Seeking 2-3 volunteers who wish to utilize their marketing skills to increase awareness of Flower City Habitat Women Build initiative, attract more volunteers, and support fundraising efforts.

Preferred Skills: Marketing strategy, copywriting, design, PR, social media. Experience with Flower City Habitat Women Build and/or affiliation with local media organizations a bonus.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE – Seeking 1-2 volunteers to become members of the Volunteer Experience Sub-Committee. Provide back-up to the committee leader to assist in resolving questions/issues on the Donor Pages or Volunteer Up systems. Answer emails, check for system resolution with a quick turnaround to avoid scheduling delays. Time commitment during May-August approximately 1-2 hours per week.

Preferred Skills: Organization, strong communication, ability to manage spreadsheets. IT skills a bonus.

ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY – Seeking a volunteer to work with the Flower City Habitat Women Build Secretary, who is in charge of donor Thank You correspondence and takes notes at monthly steering committee meetings. Thank you letter generation is a semi-automated process and all materials are provided. Time commitment: 2-3 hours a week to help generate letters and mail them (April through November); 2 hours once a month when the current secretary is unable to attend a steering committee meeting.

Preferred Skills: Note taking, typing meeting minutes in Word and posting to Dropbox, using the mail merge feature in Word to create thank-you letters for donors.

If you have any questions about starting or joining a team, or if you’re interested in one of the volunteer positions listed above, please contact us at rocwomenbuild@gmail.com.

Walls, walls, walls

The past couple of days have been all about the walls! Walls of LOVE!

In fact, the house is getting closer to being a home each day thanks to our awesome Women Build volunteer & fundraising teams.

We’d like to take a moment to say thank you to every one of you who has come out and built so far this summer. We know it’s been dusty and sticky.

Sometimes it’s been wet and muddy. But our Women Build volunteers have complained not once and look at the incredible progress that can be done when a bunch of good-hearted people put their mind and muscles to work! Incredible things.

Speaking of fundraising, you can join Calico Hammers at their Garden Party this Thursday at the Warner Castle in Highland Park to raise funds for the Women Build program. Just click here to make a $35 donation and get your name on the entry list.

Calico Hammer’s Garden Party
August 14th
6:00—8:00 pm
$35 minimum donation
Rochester Civic Garden Center
Warner Castle at Highland Park
5 Castle Park, 14620
On-site and street parking on Reservoir Ave.
No tickets sold at the door.

One more event update – we wanted to let you know that the Women Build dedication that was set for August 23rd has been postponed. So you can free up that day, but hold on tight because we will be dedicating this house and once we have a date, we’ll make sure you know it!

Hot Enough for You?

Happy Friday! Here is another great build day story from Lesia KindratPratt whose team was on-site back in early July. We just love it when our Women Build volunteers share stories from their build days with us, and we’re always happy to pass them along to you! If you have a story you’d like to share, please send it (along with any photos you have) to Sarah Stage.

What should you do on the hottest day of the summer so far? Stay inside? Stay cool? No! You should build a house!! Which is exactly what Babes in Tool Land did on their second build day!

Instead of the umbrellas we needed for our first day, we armed ourselves with sunscreen and hats and hit the build site, led, as always, by the invaluable Erwin (who I am I beginning to think should be nominated for sainthood for his seemingly endless patience and good humor).

After putting together and securing the scaffolding on the side of the house, it was time to get to work. (Wait, putting up the scaffolding wasn’t the work?!) We added foam to the front and side of the house, helped prep for siding, and got to use some power tools. Electric saw? No problem! Hop up on the scaffolding? Got it! Start roofing? You be–

Wait, what?

Yep, just before lunch…the roof arrived. One minute we were innocently standing on the scaffolding, and the next…well, Erwin grinned at us and decided that since we were up there already…

And that’s how my teammates and I learned how to put a roof on a house! A couple snapped chalk lines later, and we were on our way. It was definitely a surprise, and there is no doubt it was hot up there, but armed with lots of water and determination, my team and I got to do something we’ve never done before. It’s a testament to Habitat and its foremen that three women can stand at roof level and add something real and meaningful to a house and then point to it and say “We did that!”

Another day in the books for Babes in Tool Land. Another day closer to a home for another Rochester family in need.

Rain or Shine

From time to time, our fabulous Women Build volunteers will share stories from their build days with us, and we’re always happy to pass them along to you! We hope you enjoy this build day story from Lesia KindratPratt, whose team was on-site back in June. If you have a story you’d like to share, please send it (along with any photos you have) to Sarah Stage.

After five years, it was bound to happen…our build day weather luck ran out. After years of gloriously cool days, or at the very least, hot muggy days without a cloud in the sky, Babes in Tool Land’s first build day this year dawned gray and damp, moving into a steady drizzle by the time the day’s orientation was complete.

But did that stop us? Nope! Rain, mud, and wet sawdust were no match for the Babes as we followed our fearless leader, Erwin, down the ladder (who needs a staircase?) into the basement. First order of business? Prep the basement for the cement that was arriving in the near future. So while dodging the raindrops sneaking in through strategic places (always where we seemed to be standing!), we raked, buried the larger rocks, leveled the stone, and laid the plastic tarp. Basement was ready.

We broke for an early lunch, hoping we could perhaps outsmart Mother Nature and convince her that we were actually done for the day. No such luck!

Erwin kindly offered us an early dismissal, but last time we checked, Babes don’t melt – we were there to work! Basement duties done, we had no choice but to work outside, and work outside we did. The afternoon was spent hammering, sawing, and making sure the walls were straight and level for the roof that was starting in a few days.

We were definitely a sight for sore eyes by the time we were done – soggy, tired, and probably unwelcome in most public places, but proud of our days’ work nonetheless. We helped build a house! Habitat really is “rain or shine,” and Babes in Tool Land can now lay claim to having worked in both. But in the end, an amazing build day as always, no matter what the weather!!

The Porch Days of Summer

Filled with lounging, lemonade, people watching, and neighbor chats. This is what late July and August is about! And for our Women Build teams, it’s about building that porch for our future homeowner family.

That’s right, we’re on to outside details like porches, siding, and doors. You know, all of those things that begin to make for curb appeal.

And speaking of appeals, we’re only about $5,000 away from making our $75,000 2014 Women Build goal. Which means we need your help to make that final push to your friends, family, and other networks to help us call the financial part of this house a done deal. And remember, anything extra we raise still goes to the Women Build program – so push push push! And if you’d like to donate, you can click here to make a general 2014 Women Build donation.

Then it will be time for celebration! In fact, add the date below to your calendar. It’s when we’ll be dedicating the house to the Bailey family – and EVERYONE is invited (including your team members, donors, and curious friends.)

2014 Women Build House Dedication
August 23rd
11am
796 Jay Street
Rochester, NY

Calling All Volunteers: You’re Invited!

In case you haven’t heard, the 2014 Women Build House now has a ROOF! In addition, we now have over $61,000 towards our goal of $75,000! Of course all of this progress would not be possible without our fabulous volunteers, so we wanted to say thank you and invite you to celebrate our progress:

What: 2014 Flower City Habitat for Humanity Women Build Happy Hour
Where: Hicks & McCarthy, 23 S Main St, Pittsford, NY 14534
When: Thursday, July 24, 5pm – 7pm
Free Appetizers and 1 Free Drink Per Person

We do hope you can join us in celebrating our progress and our goal of empowering women to break the cycle of poverty by providing a hand up, not a hand out right here in Rochester one family, one home, one neighborhood at a time.

The pink, white, and purple

As we all get ready to celebrate this awesome holiday of Independence Day we thought it might be fun to share some of the most recent Women Build photos we’ve either taken out on site or received from our teams. A little glimpse at the progress that has taken us to today, where the house is all roofs, walls, and electric lines. (But there’s still a lot of work to do!)

And as you’re watching the fireworks this weekend, don’t forget to think about how YOU are helping a family with their own sort of independence. Owning your own home is a lot of responsibility, but it also means that you can choose your wall colors, plant a garden in your own yard, and show your children that with hard-work and dedication you CAN do better. Oh the American Dream in all its glory!

Be sure to keep us up to date on how YOUR team is doing on site. Don’t forget to tag us in Facebook (@RochesterHabitat) or include us on Twitter (@RocHabitat) and use hashtags #Roc and #WomenBuild to share your good work with the community! And you can always send your photos to Deanna Varble at dvarble@rochesterhabitat.org so we can add your team’s pic to our collection. (Don’t forget to tell her your team name, and send a quick caption.)

Happy Fourth to you all and congrats on making it to over $57,000! Less than $20,000 to our goal!

The Pink Wall

Last Sunday we celebrated with the raising of the pink wall at the 2014 Women Build home.

Teams came up one by one and you all did a fantastic job raising the wall, posing for photos, and giving an incredible round of applause.

Some of you may have given Erwin a little bit of a panic attack with your enthusiasm. But it’s okay, we feel that excited to!

Especially to share that with the donations you have brought in, the Guest Bartender Night from April, and the Lowe’s Women Build Week grant – we have raised over $50,000 for this house!

Along with the wall raising, we got to meet the newest Bailey – Jordyn! Yes, that’s right, Je’nnell had her babe. Isn’t she gorgeous?!

The Democrat and Chronicle had a great summary of the wall raising event in Monday’s paper. You can check it out by clicking here. Be sure to share it with friends and donors! And if you’re looking for MORE photos of the wall raising event, you can find them here at Flower City Habitat’s Facebook page. Share, share, share!

$50,000 means that we only have 1/3 left to go! So if you’re still working on your $200 now’s the time to get the word out! And if you’ve passed your $200 goal, keep the good work coming! Every little bit helps, and all donations that we get beyond the $75,000 we need this year will help us get a jump-start on next year’s house.

Speaking of FUNdraising events, we have some coming up.
See below for information.

Monday, July 21 On Kall Women for Habitat Golf Tourney: Mendon Country Club. 1pm shotgun start with a casual lunch prior included.  The format will be scramble (best ball); looking for a max of 25 teams.  The cost is $400 per foursome, includes lunch, one drink ticket, 18 holes of golf, cart, appetizers after the round.  Cash bar will be available.  We’ll also sell tickets for raffles and possibly opportunities for extra tickets to sell for mulligans, and “have the ace golfer hit for you”.

Thursday, August 14 Calico Hammers “Women Build & Rochester Civic Garden Center Homes & History Fundraiser”, 6-8 pm – more details in next week’s email.  SAVE THE DATE!

One more thing, our thanks to Stephanie Morrow for donating her photography power and grabbing a lot of these shots. We couldn’t look this good without you!

The First Women Build House

It’s Thursday, which means if you’re anywhere on social media today you will probably see the hashtag #tbt which means Throwback Thursday. According to the website, know your meme (a site we highly recommend if you’re ever looking to be “in the know” on a web/social media thing) Throwback Thursday as been looming on the web since somewhere between 2003-2006 and it encourages folks to share old photographs of themselves. (See here for more Throwback Thursday history.)

Anyway, seeing that we like the fun of a clean internet meme, we thought we’d make today’s Throwback Thursday Women Build related and share with you pieces from a book loaned to us by the incredible Sheila Sloan. Sheila, and others, helped make possible the first Women Build home in 1995.

Sunday we raise the wall on out 10th Women Build house in Rochester, (Everyone is welcome! June 8th, 2pm at 796 Jay Street.) and we can’t believe that it was 19 years ago that we finished the first!

Ten Women Build houses, which means ten families whose lives have been forever changed thanks to the women leaders who stepped up to say poverty housing is NOT okay, and we will change the housing system to be fair, equitable, and attainable.

We will raise our hammers and drills to work alongside families who believe that hard-work does pay off and the American Dream is still possible.

We will come together as women to support families who are working to break out of poverty and provide a better life for their children. We will learn together, work together, believe together in a world where EVERYONE has a decent place to live.