Last year over 144 women joined Women Build to fundraise and construct a home in Lower Price Hill. Together these women raised $52,193 to support the direct cost of materials to build the home. Melinda, Kirk Stenger was a key Women Build Leader who made it happen.
Melinda wasn't planning to get involved with Habitat, but once she learned more about Women Build, she was hooked on the mission. "My wheels started turning immediately," she says. Melinda is passionate about inspiring others to support causes they care about, and is motivated by the collective impact that a group can make when they tap into their networks and all give together.
"It's easy for me to ask for money when I believe in a project. Fundraising might seem daunting, but it really isn't especially if you have ten of your friends giving $25 to $50. It's not a lot of money, but it really makes a difference. The collaboration among friends and supporting the community to be a better place to live in is so rewarding," says Melinda.
Melinda kicked-off Women Build with a powerful and moving call to a crowded room of interested women to join the “pinky promise” —a commitment to gather friends to help support Habitat by donating and volunteering.
Next, Melinda got to work building her Women Build team. Melinda hosted a brunch before they got on site, so they could all get to know each other and build momentum. Melinda says, "It was fun building community with people that we already were friends with but who didn't overlap until women build.”
Melinda, a small business owner, says that working on a build site pushed her outside her comfort zone. “I figured, oh, it'll be something like painting, which would be easy. But then I ended up doing stuff that I didn't know I could do, like blowing insulation.” When Melinda’s team found out that a few extra tasks needed to be completed before an inspection the next day, they rallied together to complete the work, even staying an extra half hour. “It was a lot of fun," says Melinda.
“You form a bond not only with your friends but with the crew that's there because you're not alone. There's not a lot of hand holding, but there's a lot of support. So, you feel empowered, and you get to do things that you might not normally ever do. It is empowering, and one of my friends says that she feels like she can do things at home that she couldn't have done before,” says Melinda.
“My team still talks about [Women Build]. Everyone is asking, when's the next one, that was so much fun?”
