Every year during the week leading up to Mother's Day, Habitat for Humanity hosts National Women Build Week with events all around the country where women can get involved and make things happen! This year I have been blessed to be the spokesperson for this wonderful event and on Thursday, May 9, I spent the day renovating a home with some unforgettable women in Long Beach, California. We demolished things, we painted, we built things and we had a ton of fun for a really great cause. Even getting the word out on social media has been a blast! The Women Build hashtag (#womenbuild13) and my name were trending on Twitter at one point, and I was a little nervous. I mean, if you're on social media and you see yourself trending you have either put your foot in your mouth or there is some crazy rumor about you. Fortunately, it wasn't that, it was about Women Build and it was about Habitat for Humanity and that is something that I am very proud of.
I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of what Habitat for Humanity is doing, especially Women Build. More than 10,000 women volunteered at build events throughout the U.S. during National Women Build Week!
During our build day, Habitat for Humanity of Greater L.A. president Erin Rank and I were discussing how much work Habitat does on a national and global level for families with special needs. As a mother of a son who has autism, it is one of the most important missions for me to support other families with special needs children. And the fact that Habitat for Humanity is helping families with special needs children to have a place of their own for the first time, is another reason why this event was so important to me and really moved me.
So many families in the autism community have a hard time living in apartments because of the noise and the specific needs that their children have. Providing affordable homes for these families has just really filled my heart. For many of these families, it will be the first time they are able to invite people over. To have a place where they can feel comfortable and a place where their kids will not be judged is great motivation for me to support this cause. I was so happy to be at this special build day!
To anyone who has never had a chance to come out and actually get their hands dirty by building and working with Habitat for Humanity, you have no idea what you're missing! Not only are you are giving back in a way that you can tangibly see, but you leave feeling so good about what you're doing. You're helping a family (many families at times) have a home and I can't describe the feeling that I get when I build and give in this way. At the end of the day it is all about service and "service is the rent that we pay for living," so I encourage you to pay your rent with Habitat for Humanity. They build in nearly 80 countries around the world, all year round and I promise you, you will never forget how it feels to build a home for someone. I encourage everyone to get involved by volunteering, donating or just spreading the word. We all can make a difference, one house at a time.
Thank you to everyone who was involved in making National Women Build Week so special!