For more than ten years, the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva has supported Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build project in Lee County with both financial grants and hands-on service, funding and helping to build or rehab homes for Lee County residents who qualify within certain guidelines.
In May, Zontians attended a “Thank You” party hosted by Habitat at the McGregor ReStore in Fort Myers to honor the organizations and individuals who contributed to the successful 2024 Women Build program, raising a total of $534,005.
Prior to this, Zontians turned up on building sites on separate days in April and May to provide physical labor, accomplishing tasks such as exterior and interior painting and laying flooring, working under the guidance of construction professionals and alongside other volunteers to create homes for female-led households.
Women Build holds a focused campaign annually that typically kicks off in March and culminates in two or more homes awarded to new owners in May. Zonta’s sponsorship over the years has helped provide safe, low-cost homes for dozens of female heads of household and their children.
“Women Build was extremely rewarding for the Zontians who participated,” said Paula Friedman, co-chair of service for the club. “We worked in small teams to lay 2,000 square feet of flooring in just one day. We went home exhausted but so happy to have helped bring someone’s lifelong dream of home ownership closer to reality.”
For information on Habitat, visit www.habit4humanity.org/womenbuild; to find out about Zonta or to donate, visit www.zontasancap.org.
