Joining work colleagues to build homes
Candace Hartley has many passions — her family, sports, ’70s and ’80s rock bands. And then there’s Habitat.
More specifically, Habitat’s Women Build. Candace manages a Lowe’s store in Orlando, Florida. Lowe’s has sponsored National Women Build Week just before Mother’s Day for the past decade, drawing a total of almost 100,000 volunteers. Candace will participate in her ninth such build this May with Habitat for Humanity Orlando.
“Honestly, after you volunteer one time on a job site with the homeowner, you are hooked,” Candace says. “Just seeing the excitement in the eyes of someone who thought they may never, ever, have a place to call home is priceless.”
Lowe’s puts on “how-to” clinics for Women Build volunteers, but Candace already knows her way around tools. “I spent a significant amount of time on construction sites growing up — my father, grandfather and uncle were prolific builders,” Candace says. She leads a group of volunteers on the build site.
“It is very inspiring and makes me feel great,” Candace says. “We have set trusses, put in subfloors, painted, landscaped, installed siding, framed. There are not many things that the Lowe’s ladies have not had the opportunity to do.”
Candace’s most memorable volunteer experience was working alongside Mara, now a Habitat homeowner. “She said that her whole life has been full of heartache and struggles, but for the first time, she could see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Candace says. “I personally have never struggled with housing, so to see how it looks is powerful.”