Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland’s fifth annual Women Build initiative brings 40 teams of women together to build two homes for Bradley County families. Women Build 2018 will have volunteer spots open beginning in March and going through June. This year, Women Build teams will build homes for two families: Eyvonne Vance and Marvin and Shiloh White.

Currently Eyvonne Vance, lives in an apartment where her rent continues to increase even though she has a fixed income. She wants a place to live that is safe for her family to visit and free from the influence of drugs. Vance babysits her grandchildren and hopes to have a safe space for them to play outside. She believes in hard work and believes the Habitat process is not hard because it is such a huge blessing to her.

“Take the hard out of it and just do it,” is her life’s motto. “This is an opportunity for a new home, peace of mind and a blessing that my heart has longed for. It is a blessing from God. I have never owned a home before and this means so much to me,” said Vance.  

Marvin and Shiloh White are originally from Kentucky, but they have made Cleveland their home. The White’s have one son, Kainaan, and hope to grow their family. Marvin works at Coca-Cola and Shiloh is a stay at home mom. They currently live in an overcrowded apartment with the three of them sharing one bedroom.

“Having our own home means to have stability for our family and a place for Kainaan and our future children to grow up,” said Shiloh. “Even though the sweat equity hours are the hardest part of the process, it is WORTH IT. Habitat for Humanity means everything to us.”

Women of all ages and experience levels are welcome to be a part of Women Build. In order to sign up your team, choose a team leader that recruits 5 - 10 women. Women Build is a “Pay-to-Play” volunteer experience in which each team member pays a $50 build fee. The $50 “Pay-to-Play” fee goes back into funding the construction of the Vance and White family homes. This unique volunteer experience empowers local women to work together to build two homes from start to finish through their donation of a 4-hour build shift and $50.

Businesses are encouraged to get involved as well. A Build Day Sponsorship can be made by giving the $500 Pay-to-Play fee and sponsoring a group of volunteers. Sign up by February 1st to have your business name on the t-shirt and all marketing materials. Businesses like Cleveland Eye Clinic Cortney Bramlett and McNair Media have already signed up to sponsor a team.