Biceps & Elbow Grease!

"On a beautiful day in May 2004, while volunteering for the first time on a rooftop in Grace Grove, Andy Bowler,

executive director of Indian River Habitat for Humanity approached me with a challenge to begin a Women Build,"says Sue

Croom. "With lots of help from others, two hurricanes and a major surgery, the Women Build was off and running Jan. 5,

2005 under the supervision of Bryant Knapp, Habitat’s construction superintendant at that time.”

Habitat for Humanity International established Women Build to promote the involvement of women in the construction of

Habitat homes.

An excellent attempt to start the local Women Build here actually dates back to 1999, with the first Women Build home

constructed in 2000 under the direction of Jill Jones. Then in 2005, the program got its footing and - literally - grew

to a level where National Habitat awarded Sue Croom and the program a high honor within the organization.

To date, Indian River Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build crew has constructed 11 homes in Indian River County and has

provided funding for seven ohter Habitat homes. Currently there are at least 100 Women Build members working on Habitat’

s Oslo site and 50 working in the Fellsmere site.

Women Build volunteers are skilled in every aspect of Indian River Habitat construction: building walls, laying floors,

installing windows, roofing, siding and finish work.

"The therapeutic nature of rough carpentry appeals to me the most,"says Sue. "Learning how to hold the hammer properly

driving a 16-penny nail into a 2 x 4 is amazing and not as hard as one would think.”

Hyacinth Brown, a member of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club, says, "I would say siding is one of my favorite tasks.”

Members of the GFWC Sebastian Woman’s Club answered the call to be ‘food angels.’ Every Saturday for nearly six

months, Hyacinth and other members took sandwiches and snacks to volunteers on the Habitat job sites.

"Seeing the work these strong women did with smiles on their faces inspired me to join Women Build on Feb. 9, 2005,"says

Hyacinth.

Lanie Frame started around the same time. "I love hammering, framing, blocking, sheeting and siding,"she says. "It’s a

terrific feeling to work, learn and laugh with these wonderful women of varied backgrounds who combine individual skills

and endless enthusiasm to help Habitat homeowners achieve their dreams.”

Leslie Balcerak started with Women Build four years ago. "I like almost every task that goes into building these

homes,"she says. "We use China ceramic tile on the counter tops and vinyl tiles on the floor. I like the challenge of figuring

out the perfect layout that will result in a near perfect execution.”

"Roofing."That is what petite Cynthia Hazlewood prefers most. She was one of the first to join the group in 2005. "When

Sue Croom was recruiting people to volunteer to build a home sponsored by Women Build, I thought it would be fun, because

I love using tools and building things."

Darlene Redfoot says, "I like the variety. The rewards have been many: meeting and working with so many wonderful people

and the friendships that have developed; the feeling of having a purpose; the pleasure of learning new skills; the

increased competence I feel to handle chores at home; the satisfaction of having a job to do and doing it to the best of

my ability; and last but not least, the people here make me feel appreciated. "