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Redefining 'home' makers

Habitat for Humanity's Women Build program helps build a house for a Largo mother of two.

By LARITA JACOBS, Times Correspondent
Published October 4, 2007

Pam Yauch, center, and a group of Pinellas County Master Gardeners discuss the landscaping for her Largo home, which was built by Habitat for Humanity.
	[Lara Cerri | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Lara Cerri | Times] Pam Yauch says her two boys, ages 12 and 15, will get their own rooms and will be able to walk to school from the 1,100-square-foot three-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath house Habitat is helping her build. [Lara Cerri | Times] Yauch, 44, the mother of two boys, already has put in 400 hours toward becoming a Habitat homeowner.

LARGO - You couldn't miss the white hard hats and bright pink shirts, each emblazoned "as girls We Played House / as women We Build Them."

On a dead-end street, 13 Habitat for Humanity volunteers gathered to hammer, carry, measure, saw and bolt.

Like most Habitat projects, the new home will be built with 1,500 to 2,000 volunteer hours over the next several months.

But unlike most Habitat projects, the volunteers for this project were all women. The organization's Women Build program is designed to encourage women to participate in Habitat projects by providing a chance for them to learn building skills while helping a family.

Pam Yauch, 44, and her sons, ages 12 and 15, are destined for this 1,100-square-foot house, and she was among the women building in the morning drizzle Saturday.

"There are so many blessings," she said with a smile. "My boys can walk to school, each will have their own bedroom, and we'll have our own washer and dryer."

With arms wide and eyes shining, she said, "and here, we're going to have a back yard!"

Yauch's story is what inspired several women to become volunteers with Women Build. After leaving an abusive situation, she suffered serious financial problems. Although Yauch is employed full time with the State Attorney's Office, she found home ownership beyond her reach without Habitat for Humanity.

"I got a brochure in the mail and Pam's story moved me," Celynda Redgrave of Tarpon Springs said. "It is fantastic to meet Pam and work here with her."

Redgrave, who owns TelAcq Consulting, a company that does site acquisition for cell phone towers, took her enthusiasm to her employees, most of whom are women.

"The response was great," says Redgrave, as evidenced by the 10 female employees and employee family members who turned out to build on Saturday.

Calling Redgrave their "fearless leader," twins Cheryl Spatig and Diane Smith came long distances to participate in Women Build.

Spatig, who works for Redgrave, flew from Memphis on Friday night. Smith joined her sister by driving to Largo from Palm Beach.

"I've always wanted to be part of Habitat, but I just never did it," Spatig said while bolting together a 6-foot window casing. "I'm proud to be helping a woman who is helping herself."

Another early morning volunteer, Stephanie Feliciano, is an 18-year-old student at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. Feliciano said the all-woman team was part of the draw for her.

"It's exciting; you just don't see a lot of women on construction projects," she said. "I wanted the experience. I enjoy doing things for people."

The three-bedroom, 11/2-bath house is a story in itself. It's being made of insulated concrete foam blocks. The technology, now about two decades old, consists of raising walls from hollow, interlocking foam blocks, ribbing them with steel bars and pouring concrete into the gaps. The resulting wall is sturdy, but includes extra inches of insulation.

For Habitat, the foam technology builds quickly and allows for more volunteer time and requires less specialized paid trade labor. It also saves on air-conditioning, enabling the organization to install smaller units.

As the walls went up on Yauch's home, another group of volunteers arrived to talk to Yauch.

Volunteers from the Master Gardeners Program of Pinellas County will provide free landscaping for the Largo home, according to Pam Brown, urban horticulture extension agent for Pinellas County and a Habitat volunteer.

This is a new partnership between the Master Gardeners and Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers have agreed to provide landscape design, plants, and labor to create a "Florida friendly" landscape.

The group hopes to receive donated plants from local nurseries and will supplement its efforts using the proceeds of its plant sale in October.

Yauch appreciated the group's desire to design around plants that make her happy. Yauch said she would like to see blue plumbago in her yard, and pinwheel jasmine is her favorite.

"Firecracker plant," she said, grinning widely. "My son already told me he really wants firecracker plant!"

FYI

Get involved

For more information on Habitat for Humanity and the Women Build program, contact Jamie Cataldo at 536-4755 or visit www.phfh.org. No experience is necessary, free training provided.

[Last modified October 3, 2007, 22:37:28]