The 2025 Women Build saw nearly 300 volunteers donate their time, expertise, and energy into building homes and inspiring other women to participate on construction sites. This year’s build took place at Yarrow Cottages over three weeks. This site is especially meaningful because two years ago, it was Women Build that kicked off construction at Yarrow Cottages. Now in our 18th year, Women Build continues to be Habitat SKKC’s most popular volunteer opportunity, and it keeps getting bigger every year.
Volunteers had the opportunity to participate as individuals or as part of sponsor groups, including Amazon, US Bank, and Prime Electric. Women of Impact, the premiere event of Women Build, saw over 50 volunteers participate in one action-packed day.
The morning kicked off with an orientation, words of encouragement from Habitat SKKC’s CEO Brett D’Antonio, and safety instructions. Participants also heard from Amber C., one of Habitat’s homeowners, who perfectly captured what being a first-time homeowner has meant to her.
Amber shared her story with the captivated audience: “I’m a writer and storyteller by profession, and one of my favorite essays by one of my favorite writers is ‘A Room of One’s Own’ by Virginia Woolf. She wisely recognized that creative freedom and artistic expression for women, for anyone, is almost impossible without financial independence and personal space. And I could not have achieved these two very important dreams without my Habitat home.”
The day was full of fun surprises and treats, including an all-day set by local DJ Wax Witch, raffle prizes given away during lunch, and the announcement that the pink hard hats volunteers wore that day were theirs to keep. When Volunteer Program Manager Caroline Keck announced this news, there was an audible gasp from the crowd. This was clearly a crowd that wanted to return next year with their hard hats in hand.
Led by Habitat SKKC staff and AmeriCorps, volunteers at Women of Impact had a variety of projects to work on at the build site, from putting up cedar siding on one home’s exterior to laying down the second-story floor of another home. Sponsor Home Depot donated time and expertise by leading a group of volunteers in a project making and staining planter boxes to be gifted to Yarrow Cottages homeowners.
“Home Depot loves giving back to the community,” said Home Depot volunteer Nancy W. This was her second time participating in Women Build. She remembered the last time she volunteered on this site when there were only foundations. Upon returning, she, like so many other repeat volunteers, was able to see the fruit of her labor in the form of completed and nearly completed homes. Returning to a build site allows volunteers to see firsthand the entire process of turning a plot of land into a community.
Jolene Robinson, Habitat Board Vice Chairperson & Treasurer, has been on the Board for six years and has volunteered at Women Build for four of them. She explained her reason for coming back year-after-year: “It’s so empowering to see the Habitat staff out there, especially the female staff, showing how inclusive the job sites can be. The construction industry is not something that a lot of women feel is a career path for them. When you can get out there and roll up your sleeves alongside some of the women on our teams who have made this a career, I think it really opens eyes. You get people like me, who now think, ‘I can absolutely volunteer on a construction site.’ And I think that uplifts not just the homeowners, but also the people that are out there volunteering. You’re gaining a lot by being there.”
Liz Mathieson, the only female AmeriCorps staffer working with Habitat SKKC this year, is one of those people onsite who inspired Jolene. “It’s not rare for me to be the only woman here. Today is super special because I’m surrounded by so many people like me, and it’s inspiring to see them do this work. It makes me feel like I’m even more a part of the team,” she said.
Another Board member and repeat volunteer, Mercedes Gamor, has participated four times. She believes that Women Build is “more than just a volunteer event; it’s a reminder that every woman deserves a foundation, a home to call her own, and a stable future that she can build for herself and her family.”
The day brought out many groups, from coworkers to friends to a couple of mother-daughter duos, including Habitat homeowner Tiruwork A. and her daughter Mihret. They spent the day cutting wood that will be placed above window openings to distribute weight.
The ability to do hands-on work is a draw for many Women Build participants, especially those working in the housing sector who focus on the policy or financial side of homeownership. Erika Malone, Homeownership Division Manager at the Seattle Office of Housing, attended for the first time because she wanted to “be a part by slinging a hammer, not just funding a project.”
The site buzzed with energy, the whir of power tools, and music from DJ Wax Witch featuring empowering female pop tunes. At one point, volunteers seemed to hammer in time with the beat of the music.
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The symphony of construction sounds paused only when it was time for lunch and the special panel conversation, “Yes in My Backyard: Turning Advocacy into Action and the Role you Play.” Led by Women Build all-star volunteer Linda Hoffner from Wright Runstad, the panel focused on how to inspire “NIMBYs” (Not in My Backyard) to say yes to affordable housing projects. The panel was made up of Claire Vanessa Goodwin, Executive Manager South King Housing and Homeless Partners (SKHHP); Bianca Siegl, Director of the Bellevue Office of Housing; and Maiko Winkler-Chen, Director of the Seattle Office of Housing.
Their wide-ranging conversation included sharing updates from their affordable housing initiatives to combatting common misconceptions about who qualifies for affordable housing. A single person making around $65,000 annually qualifies for affordable housing in King County. Some of the panelists shared their personal relationship to affordable housing because their kids are about to graduate from college and will likely fall into that category. Maiko talked about the retirees living on a fixed income who need it. She also reminded attendees that the people who delivered the day’s catered lunch need it.
“In this country, we don’t view housing as a right. We have to start that at the local level,” Maiko said.
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After the panel, Linda, who has participated in six builds, reflected on the experience of seeing these homes over the years: “Every time I come to one of these builds, the project is at a different phase. I’ve done everything from scraping the foundations to boxing out windows to painting. It’s powerful knowing that the work we’re doing here is helping someone get a home.”
Women of Impact Day ended with one final, important task: all the volunteers gathered to put up two walls in what will become Building 12. This group effort, like the rest of the day, was a reminder that while construction may seem like an intimidating job, it feels much more accessible when surrounded by a support system.
The women and allies who participated in this year’s Women Build gained skills through hands-on learning and left their mark on the Yarrow Cottages neighborhood. They are now part of a legacy of volunteerism, meaningful work, and a shifting view of who belongs on a construction site.