Hammering Out the Details

Saturday, November 7th

proved to be an eventful day indeed

for P&H's Michele Sommers

and yours truly, Anne Scott-Brown.

The two of us volunteered with

Habitat for Humanity South Palm Beach County

at their Women Build Day.

Habitat's noble mission is to provide simple,

decent, affordable housing for those in need,

working in partnership with them

to make it all possible.

Dozens of ladies reported for duty at the residential construction site in Boynton Beach.

When we weren't busy dodging the airborne sand and sawdust from the gloriously windy day, we assisted in building the support system that would eventually sustain the second floor trusses for the new house.

With hammers and nails, measuring tapes and circular saws, we performed our tasks with little skill but boundless energy.

We must make note of the tremendous patience and expertise displayed by our supervisors (George and Patrick), because without them to lead the way, this enormous undertaking would never have been possible!

They maintained their professionalism during every challenging phase, and managed to keep their cool when everything didn't go just exactly as planned (hey ... we women can't be perfect at absolutely everything now, can we?!?).

For those of us who participated in the May 2009 Women Build, it was great to see some familiar faces again this time around.

I can't wait to attend the dedication of the home that we helped to construct!

The dedication ceremony is always beautiful,

and it's very heartwarming to see

the homeowner receive the keys to the home

they assisted in building

with their own two hands ... literally!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

May started off with a BANG … literally!
With hammers and nail guns in hand, two of the
P&H officers (Pam Dortch & Anne Scott-Brown)
participated in National Women’s Build Day
on Saturday, May 2nd.

Working in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity,
Pam and Anne were assigned to a
team with other women,
providing the interior trim for a home
in Delray Beach, FL.

Whether it was removing old trim,
installing an interior door,
or measuring and nailing baseboards in place,
the teams of unskilled female laborers
(supervised by the knowledgeable
and very patient project foremen)
completed the interior trim installation.

What we lacked in skill, we made up for in enthusiasm!
If we found that the hallway was
too crowded to walk through,
then a nearby window worked just as well!

The large group of volunteers worked side-by-side
with members of the very worthy family
as well as veterans from the Habitat headquarters.

The knowledge and friendships that were gained
made for a truly enriching experience.