NWiR – Seattle Chapter/SheBuild

On April 27th, 2019, the women of the NWiR Seattle Chapter strapped on their tool belts to help one single mother with some critical home repairs. Partnering with Rebuilding Together of South Sound, the ladies of the Seattle Chapter gathered for the city of Tacoma’s first ever SheBuild, taking place on National ReBuilding Together Day.

The Seattle Chapter, which started in June 2018, has quickly made a name for themselves locally and nationally through their enthusiast volunteerism and dedication to the 4 Pillars of the NWiR. Starting with only 4 members and now boasting 65, they attribute their growth to providing interesting and informational meetings and events that focus on mentoring, education, networking, and recruiting (the 4 pillars).

The idea for the SheBuild came about when Chair Lucinda Creasy (Creasy Construction) and Co-Chair Lori Swanson (Guardian Roofing) started the conversation about volunteerism. Lori, who already had a relationship with Amy Hoyte, the executive director of ReBuilding Together South Sound, knew there was a serious need for volunteers with roofing skills. Upon meeting with Amy, the team was introduced to SheBuilds, a nationwide project series made up of women volunteers providing home repair services to women homeowners and their families. Recognizing that a SheBuild Project would be a perfect fit for the National Women in Roofing Chapter, Seattle’s Chapter Board shared the volunteerism opportunity with the rest of the chapter, who unanimously and excitedly jumped on board. The board included Lucinda Creasy, Lori Swanson, Monica Parks (Propel), Morgan Roth (Guardian Roofing), Rae July (Chinook Roofing) and Brittany Wimbish (Fields Roof Service, Inc.). This was a major project to take on for a newly formed chapter so an immediate plan of action was initiated to make sure everything needed for the project could be donated or fundraising efforts to cover additional expenses needed to begin.

ywo story house white and gray in disrepairOn the day of the event, 33 ladies of the NWiR Seattle Chapter and several additional volunteers from Rebuilding Together South Sound arrived onsite early to walk through job site safety, enjoy donuts and coffee donated by TopPot, and assign members different tasks. Once onsite, under the direction of team captain Lucinda Creasy, the ladies quickly got to work painting trim and fencing, landscaping the front yard, and of course, installing the new roof and gutters. An NWiR member was assigned to act as a liaison between the homeowner, a single mother of three who is also responsible in caring for her disabled sister and parents. By being available to the homeowner throughout the project, the Team liaison ensured that all requests were heard, and that the homeowner felt comfortable. In addition to the many volunteers, the SheBuild was well supplied with generous donations from the following partners and vendors:

  • ABC Supply
  • Approach Management Services
  • Commercial Industrial Roofing
  • Malarkey Roofing Products
  • Nu-Ray Metal Products
  • Puget Sound Gutters
  • Propel Insurance
  • Roof Masters
  • Stoneway Roofing
  • Washington Cedar Supply

Because of their generous support, the Seattle Chapter was able to reallocate the budget from Rebuilding Together and monetary donations from Approach Management Services and Propel Insurance into the home for interior repairs such as heating, drywall and flooring to be completed at a later date.

For the ladies of NWiR Seattle Chapter, ReBuilding Together Day was a huge success filled with friendship, laughter, a little sweat and a lot of hard work. The Seattle Chapter is so grateful to have had the opportunity to give back to their local community and they look forward to participating in another SheBuild in the future.

For more information on this project please contact:
Brittany Wimbish
Fields Roof Service, Inc.
Top Rung Construction, LLC
BrittanyW@fieldsroofservice.com
(888) 852-4974
 

To learn more about the NWiR or to join us please go to https://www.nationalwomeninroofing.org