SALT LAKE CITY -- A group of single mothers and female construction workers grabbed some tools and went to work to build a house for Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday.
Concetta Defa is one of more than 10,000 female volunteers across the country who are taking part in Habitat For Humanity’s National Women Build Week. She said the work takes her out of her comfort zone, but she said women shouldn’t be hesitant to try their hand at construction work.
“I'm normally not up on a roof,” she said. “I'm kind of a baby when it comes to that… I think there are a lot of women out there that don't think they have the physical ability to work construction, but really technology has advanced to where it's taken a lot of the brawn out and put a lot of the brain in.”
These volunteers are building the house for a single mother of two who needed a little help. Defa said she and some of the other volunteers can empathize with her plight.
“Who better to build a house for a single mom then some single moms? Some of the gals we have helping today are single moms themselves,” she said.
A new group of women will work on the house each day this week, and it is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Kami Higgins is a skilled laborer and single mother who helped with the home, and she said it’s something she feels good about doing.
"I'm going to bring my kid by and say, 'I helped do that,'” she said while laughing. “Be very proud of what you do.”
Click here for more information on Habitat for Humanity and National Women Build Week.
