Here at Rob Rice Homes, providing South Puget Sound residents a great place to live is our highest priority. When presented with the opportunity to participate in South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build event, our team of ladies jumped at the chance. Altogether, the event was attended by a formidable group of local businesswomen from Coldwell Banker, Epic Realty, Rob Rice Homes, Doors Unlimited and Panowitz Jewelers.
“We had a blast, but it was truly building. We all got to experience a few different skills needed to build a home,” says Helena Rice, co-owner of Rob Rice Homes. “We got to do some really fun team-building exercises, like lifting the wall we had just framed and nailing it in.”
Helena and her fellow volunteers spent the day helping build a house by framing walls, installing windows and siding, putting in a lawn and more. While the work was strenuous and many of the volunteers were more familiar with selling homes than building them, Helena says it was more than rewarding to know their work would soon provide a cozy home to a person or family in need. It also gave the volunteers a chance to expand their horizons by working with power tools and getting to know each other better as friends and teammates.
Check out this fantastic video of Helena using a skill saw to cut and frame one of the walls:
Rob Rice Homes’ own Kim Showalter helps frame a window.
The South Puget Sound chapter of Habitat for Humanity has served the local community since 1989 with the vision of “a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” As a national organization, they are best known for their rebuilding efforts for those displaced by natural disasters. They offer a number of charitable services to low-income individuals in the area, including home ownership opportunities and critical home repairs. Volunteers can join them on construction sites, in their discounted retail store, or in the office as translators, event support staff and data entry specialists.
Women Build is a special annual event that takes place across six days a year, with the goal of constructing three total homes. Whether volunteers come for one day or six, they are required to personally fundraise or donate $100 for each day they work. Space is often limited, making Women Build one of Habitat for Humanity’s most popular events, and many volunteers return year after year. By the end of the event, the goal is to raise $60,000, which will be used to purchase construction materials. This year, the event took place May 6-8 and 13-15.
Local businesses participated in other ways, too – a professional photographer was on-site to document the event, and lunch was donated by Meconi’s Italian subs.
“We’ll continue to do this every year,” says Helena. “People around the office and in the field are asking to participate next time – that’s how you know it was fun!”
If you would like to learn more about Habitat For Humanity’s mission or how to get involved, visit the South Puget Sound chapter’s website.
To learn more about Rob Rice Homes, Epic Realty and our popular home pre-sale list, contact us here.