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In 2007, a small group of women came together because they wanted to support the homebuilding efforts of Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity, the local nonprofit that builds homes with people in need of decent, affordable housing.
Diane Jones Meier was among the women in that small group. Together, the women decided to ask their friends and colleagues to help raise funds and build one Habitat home.
“At the time, there was nothing like it around," Meier says. "We had no idea how much resistance or how much enthusiasm there would be.”
As it turned out, the opportunity to come together as women, support a local family in need and make a difference in the community struck the right chord. And so, B/ CS Habitat's volunteer group known as the Circle of Women was born.
“I was amazed at how quickly it all came together," Meier says. "People were really responsive.”
In fact, the Circle of Women has been so successful that the group celebrated the start of its 15th Habitat home last October. But Circle of Women members will tell you that real success is seeing a family's life transformed.
"Each house built is a chance for the parents to find stability and build a future for themselves and their children," Meier says.
Amanda Chau, a co-chair on the Circle of Women committee, has helped build numerous Habitat homes and says it’s life changing to watch a family's home progress.
“You can see the house starting from nothing, just a bare foundation, all the way to the dedication when we give the keys to the owner,” she says. “It's kind of exciting to follow the progression and the construction of one house.”
With the help of B/CS Habitat's Volunteer Engagement department, the Circle of Women committee schedules work days during the build, giving women different opportunities to learn and practice construction skills. Once a date is scheduled, Circle members can sign up on the group’s website. All volunteers need to do is dress in clothes that can get dirty and wear close-toed shoes; Habitat provides everything from work gloves and goggles to protect the eyes.
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome and no experience is necessary. As a professor in the biology department at Blinn College, Chau encourages many of her students and coworkers to experience working on a Habitat construction site.
“Most of our volunteers tend to be women, but men are welcome. I have male faculty that want to contribute to the Circle of Women as well,” Chau says. "It's also a great opportunity to work alongside the Habitat homebuyers ... to get to know them and talk with them.”
Working alongside the Habitat homebuyers makes the volunteer experience even more special because their stories are inspirational, Meier says.
“For some in our community who are living paycheck to paycheck, it's a constant cycle where you can't ever get ahead,” Meier says. “If you do, then something happens — your car breaks down, and then you're behind again. It's just so much stress. And the Circle of Women members want to help alleviate that.”
As the staff liaison for Habitat for Humanity, Julie Gurnon says Habitat homes are not free, but rather a way for families to set themselves up for financial success. Eligible homebuyers must be able to pay a thirty-year, interest-free loan; and because all the mortgage payments go back into the program, each homebuyer pays it forward and helps another family in need of decent, affordable housing.
“Being able to invest in a home through the Habitat program is a life changer,” Circle of Women cochair Janet Morford says. “They are moving gradually toward ownership of something that they can sell or pass on to their children.”
Buying a Habitat home also enables parents to put down roots in the community. That stability means children do better in school, and an affordable mortgage means the parents have some breathing room to save money for college or a rainy day fund.
In the end, there's one event that every Circle of Women member looks forward to: the day the home is dedicated and the house keys are given to the family.
“It's a joy to see the happiness when families get to see their new homes and make plans for their futures." Chau says. “Right now, the Circle of Women is building a home in partnership with a young couple. They are working together, and you can see the hopes and dreams in their eyes.”
Circle of Women is a volunteer group supporting Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity. Those interested in becoming a member or serving on the committee can visit habitatbcs.org/circle-of-women or contact Julie Gurnon at jgurnon@ habitatbcs.org or call (979) 823-7200, ext. 110.
