On Saturday August 1st, Habitat for Humanity Women Build held it’s 4th annual Bags for Builds event at Old Orchard Lanes and Links in Savoy. While the first year of the family-friendly event was held in a much colder October, its move to the summer months has helped increase attendance. Participants were able to have some fun playing mini-golf, join in a bags tournament, win prizes, get great yet cheap food provided by Old Orchard ($4 got you a huge pizza slice, cookie, and a soda!), and have their shot at silent auction packages donated by area businesses. The best part? All proceeds from the night went directly to Habitat for Humanity Women Build, and before the night even officially started the group had received $250.
So what is the Women Build program? Like Habitat’s other home-building projects, the goal is to build a house for a family in need; in this case at least one every two years. The distinct feature that sets this program apart from others is that the volunteer spots are held for women, who make up 70% of the workforce on the build project. In addition to providing a home, the endeavor aims to teach construction skills to women and increase their awareness of career opportunities. Habitat and Lowe’s also partner every April to host a clinic for women where they can learn about tools and construction, touching on everything from framing to siding, and over 100 women participate yearly. These two efforts combined have allowed the Women Build program to have tremendous success, with the local group building 8 of 80 homes in Champaign County (internationally, Women Build has been responsible for 60 homes). It’s important to remember also that these houses are all hand-ups, not hand-outs; the partner family is required to participate in the build itself, and assumes an interest-free monthly mortgage payment of $500/mo once the home is complete.
Below, sponsors for the night.
Quite a few people turned out for the fundraiser, and while there were a handful of teams for the bags tournament the clear draw for the crowd was mini-golf. With such a great cause as the backdrop, it was hard for people to turn down a second round after their first 18 holes. Once the sun set and night came, the lights on the course allowed the fun to continue; in fact, families were still showing up 20 minutes before the event was scheduled to end at 9 p.m.
Take a look below for more pictures from the evening, and if you’d like to learn more about Champaign County Habitat for Humanity you can check out their website here.
