Habitat Toronto: Helping Others and Supporting Women in Construction

Photo: Elida Huignard, President 2006-2010, Head of Operations Wo-Built Inc.
at a volunteer shift with Habitat Toronto for the WOMEN BUILD: May 1-12, 2012
May 2012 © wobuilt.com

Photo: Elida Huignard, President 2006-2010, Head of Operations Wo-Built Inc.
at a volunteer shift with Habitat for Humanity Toronto's Women Build: May 1-12, 2012
May 2012 © wobuilt.com

Photo: Elida Huignard, President 2006-2010, Head of Operations Wo-Built Inc.
at a volunteer shift with Habitat Toronto for the WOMEN BUILD: May 1-12, 2012
May 2012 © wobuilt.com

Photo: Elida Huignard, President 2006-2010, Head of Operations Wo-Built Inc.
at a volunteer shift with Habitat for Humanity Toronto's Women Build: May 1-12, 2012
May 2012 © wobuilt.com

Photo: Elida Huignard, President 2006-2010, Head of Operations Wo-Built Inc.
at a volunteer shift with Habitat Toronto for the WOMEN BUILD: May 1-12, 2012
May 2012 © wobuilt.com

Recently Wo-Built's co-founder Elida Huignard took part again in the Habitat for Humanity Women's Build weekend; hammer, hard hat and all. As a crew member of the CAWIC team we achieved two of our goals which are dear to us: helping others in need and showing our ongoing commitment to support women in construction.

Thank you, Elida, for representing us in this great cause and judging by the pictures it was a lot of fun. I cannot think of anything better; helping others in a fun community way.


Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and

To learn more, read Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build: Wearing a Hard Hat, Supporting a Great Cause

Screenshot: Habitat Toronto for the WOMEN BUILD: May 1-12, 2012
Elida Huignard Fundraising Goal: $200; Amount Raised: $415
Sponsors: 6; 100% of Goal Achieved! Thank you for your support.
Credit: torontohabitat.ca

Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build: Wearing a Hard Hat, Supporting a Great Cause

Screenshot: Join Habitat Toronto for the WOMEN BUILD: May 1-12, 2012
Please Sponsor Elida Huignard in Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build!
Credit: torontohabitat.ca

"The Habitat for Humanity Toronto Women Build (May 1-12, 2012) brings the women of this city together to help families living in need.
It's an exciting and rewarding way to make new friends, learn new skills and show how much we can do when we put our efforts into helping each other."
- Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build

Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build

In one of Canada's most affluent cities, tens of thousands of hard working families are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty where they do not have a safe and decent place to live. I am choosing to do something about the poverty housing issue in my city. Together we can give Toronto families a better life and future.

I'm participating in Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build. In May, I will be picking up a hammer and donning a hard hat with hundreds of other women to help build 6 homes for local families living in need.

You can help support my efforts to make a difference by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1424956

For more information on how YOU can participate in Habitat Toronto's 2012 Women Build, please visit www.torontohabitat.ca/womenbuild

Together we can give Toronto families a hand up and build healthier, happier communities.

Thanks for your support!

Elida Huignard
President 2006-2010, Head of Operations
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

We would like to give our wholehearted support to Habitat for Humanity which is a wonderful cause after our own heart. Wo-Built's co-founder Elida Huignard is taking part again in the Habitat for Humanity Women's Build this weekend; hammer, hard hat and all.

This is a great cause and please support her generously.

Wo-Built's Team

links:

Read Elida's experience volunteering with Habitat for Humanity as part of the team for the Toronto Womens’ Blitz in May, 2009: Building Homes - Leading Women into Construction.

Being Green in Toronto – Everyone Can Participate!

Collage: Being Green with Wo-Built

Being environmentally conscious is a topic that is very much in the forefront today and is a concern to everyone. In today’s eco conscious world everyone can do their part for the environment.

In the City of Toronto alone everyone from school-age children, large corporations and ordinary citizens are learning to be environmentally friendly. Most of us do the usual things such as recycling and using compact fluorescent bulbs but as the Green Toronto Winners and Finalists list proves, many people are thinking of new and innovative ways to be environmentally friendly and saving our resources. Highlighted on this list, you can read about the "Now House™ Project Inc.", a green design award winner for a home with a near zero energy retrofit that will hopefully be modeled for future "green" homes. Also highlighted is Campbell Company of Canada, a winner for the water efficiency award. They have implemented a water recovery program that saves 25 - 40 million liters of water a month. To read more about the many other creative ways that some people in our great City of Toronto have come up with to being environmentally friendly, please follow the link to Green Toronto Awards Winners and Finalists.

Although we didn’t make the list (maybe next year!), we at Wo-Built always try to do our part as green builders. One initiative that we strongly believe in is the donation of reusable items from our building projects. One such worthy cause close to our hearts is Habitat for Humanity. They will reuse most items in their building projects or they will be put up for resale at Habitat Restores to raise money for much needed supplies for their ventures. Follow this link Building Homes - Leading Women into Construction to read about Wobuilts’ adventures at Habitat for Humanity.

You can also join us on our twitter page for regular updates and links to some interesting reading. As well as saving resources for future generations, being green can be fun!

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

youtube.com: Future City Toronto
This video is being shown at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Mayor Miller will be attending to represent Toronto as Chair of the C40 at the Climate Summit for Mayors and continue to champion the leadership of cities in fighting climate change. Watch the video to see what Toronto is doing to fight climate change.
Find out what you can do at www.livegreentoronto.ca
Credit: livegreentoronto

links:
City of Toronto: Solid Waste Management: ReUseIt: Minimize the waste through reduction and reuse strategies
City of Toronto: Green Toronto Awards Winners and Finalists
City of Toronto: What's the City doing to shrink its footprint?
City of Toronto: Zerofootprint Toronto

Wo-Built: Going Green in the City: Building and Renovating with "Being Green" in Mind:
Part 1 - Eco-Friendly Home Improvements
Part 2 - Going Green Is Becoming Mainstream
Part 3 - Living Rooftops - An Environmental Alternative for "Green" Building
Wo-Built: Our Green and Eco Tweets to Follow

examiner.com: Toronto Mayor David Miller - Copenhagen climate change summit 2009
"The Toronto Mayor promises a plan to extend the Transit City plan with over 120km of light rail transit. In an attempt to restore and reuse, a plan to strengthen the economy and to create green jobs includes building construction to retrofit old high-rise concrete apartments fighting climate change in the process."
by Tomitheos Linardos
thestar.com: Toronto struts its stuff at Copenhagen climate conference
by Paul Moloney

You've Got a Question, We've Got an Answer: Wo-Built Responds

Collage: Wo-Built's Forum: Questions and Answers
Credit: MS ClipArt j0439384

WO-BUILT’s FORUM

Rebecca said...

I really like the look of the rustic design and really enjoyed reading your article. I'm based in England and am currently researching for my kitchen redesign. I've just signed the contract for a hand made kitchen so am on the look out for some unique or contemporary design features. I have a young family at the moment and we're extending the house to make room for our third child and lucky me I get a new kitchen too. I'm having to live elsewhere though as the building work is at an open house stage and my 9 month old can do without the draft. It'll all be worth it though.

Wo-Built responds…

Wo-Built Inc. was very pleased to hear that we were able to help out with design ideas as far away as England. Our resident design expert, Deborah is always on top of the trends and always has some great ideas for remodeling kitchens to provide maximum efficiency with a warm ambience. After all, the kitchen is the heart of the home, so it’s important to have a design that reflects that sentiment. We would love to see your finished kitchen and please feel free to post a picture of it once it is finished.


Joanna said...

On May 1st – 9th, Habitat for Humanity Toronto will host thousands of women for its Women Build initiative. These women will come together to build homes with low income families in the West Hill area of Scarborough. The Women Build is all about the solidarity of women, and the power to change the lives of those in need. It is also a tangible way for women to directly help other women. This Blitz Build will go down in Habitat for Humanity history as the largest Women Build in Canada, and our goal is to raise $2 million dollars.

For more information, please visit www.helpwomenbuild.ca, email Womenbuild@torontohabitat.on.ca or call 416-755-7353

Wo-Built responds…

As Wo-Built Inc. has a social mission to help women succeed in the trades, an event such as this one was close to our hearts. We were quite pleased to have been able to contribute to this most worthwhile event. Please read about the many wonderful experiences we had in our current postings on our forum.

Building Homes - Leading Women into Construction: Part 2

Photo: Elida Huignard at a volunteer shift during the Women Build Blitz
2009 © wobuilt.com

President Wo-Built Inc. Elida Huignard: My experience volunteering with Habitat for Humanity as part of the team for the Toronto Womens’ Blitz in May, 2009 - Part 2

When I arrived, the site already had a lot of houses being built by Daniels that were almost complete. Eight houses were to be built during the blitz, with the foundations completed and some corner panels for the 1st floor on. See photo. We were required to put all the tools and supplies from pencils to saws, from caulking guns to ladders, and safety equipment etc. in 4 different containers inside, in front of each group of semidetached houses. A lot of care was taken to put everything into an orderly manner so that the crew leaders in each shift were able to find everything easily.

At this time I noticed another team working at installing wall panels. I put in a request to switch teams so that I would be able to see some new techniques on the actual panel installation. The Sip panels used at the Hartford site are a sandwich of chip board with a Styrofoam core that simplifies the construction of the standard balloon-frame construction and has an intrinsic insulating value. This method of installation was different from the process that I was familiar with. Tom, our team leader put a lot of care in showing me how to handle the panels so that they did not get damaged, how to check the level and maintain them temporarily in position. Our team consisted of Tom, our crew leader, myself - a woman with a lot of experience in construction and 3 young men with no experience in construction at all. We prepared the posts that are installed in between panels which consisting in lots of hammering. We were shown nail removal skills, how to use a lot of sealant and got absolutely filthy with the caulking gun because we were not familiar with this particular type. We then had to use the sledge hammer to jam the panels into place and to take out some of our frustrations as well. At end of the day I realized that although I had been quite smug about not needing any training to go on site, I had learned quite a few different methods in the DIY area.

The following day I attended a dinner meeting with all the other female crew leaders and house leaders. It was a fun affair, and although it was a simple serve on picnic tables at the site, we were all required to wear our safety boots and hats. During the meeting the organizers and site supervisors clarified for us how to guide the volunteers assigned to us towards a successful experience during the blitz. We were also shown a finished semi-detached home to demonstrate what we were going to help build. When we realized the enormity of the task at hand – building 4 homes complete with a roof structure and windows with a group of people who had little or no experience - our doubts and fears were quickly dissipated and our questions
were answered during the Question and Answer period.

Afterwards, when chatting with Tom and his wife Laura, also crew leaders, I was delighted to discover they had just arrived from Argentina, my country of origin, where they had been trekking through the glaciers in Patagonia and also through Buenos Aires. It truly is a small world!

Elida Huignard
President
Wo-Built Inc.

Look for our next instalment of this amazing experience in future postings on our forum.

links:
Habitat for Humanity Toronto - The Women Build Blitz - May 1-9, 2009
Wo-Built Inc. Partners With Habitat for Humanity Toronto's Women Build Initiative
Wo-Built Inc.: Building Homes - Leading Women into Construction: Part 1

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Building Homes - Leading Women into Construction

Photo: A Volunteer Shift During the Women Build Blitz on May, 2009
2009 © wobuilt.com + flickr.com: Habitat Toronto's photostream

President Wo-Built Inc. Elida Huignard: My experience volunteering with Habitat for Humanity as part of the team for the Toronto Womens’ Blitz in May, 2009

Because Wobuilt Inc. has a special objective of introducing more women into the skilled trades of the construction industry, when we heard about the Habitat for Humanity Toronto Womens’ Blitz in May of 2009 we wanted to participate in a very significant way.

After several meetings with Arundel Gibson VP of Peoples’ Communication in late 2008, we were able to contribute to the course outline for Crew Leaders. This course was designed mainly for female leaders, and ran in the months of February and March of 2009 at the Habitat University. It included a complete overview of the construction methods used at the Habitat sites, because the majority of women have very little experience in the construction industry. Women were taught how to use carpentry tools such as a hammer, a saw and drill etc. as well as many other skills required in the building trades.

As the project manager of Wobuilt Inc., and having had extensive experience in my field, I was able to join the Womens’ Build as a Crew Leader without going through the required course work. That morning I arrived at the site very early and was quite eager to make a start. Since I had already registered the day before the blitz started, I needed only to sign my waiver (assuming full responsibility for myself at the site). After donning my name tag, I was given a safety talk and the safety equipment that I would require on site. The Volunteer Coordinator was there to guide us and to help find our way around the site as well as providing us with coffee and cookies at the main trailer.

It was raining that day, but I was prepared with my rain poncho, while some of the others were making makeshift raincoats from garbage bags to protect themselves against the elements. We were then divided into teams and because of the rain which prevented us from participating in the building process, we worked on relocating all the supplies in anticipation for the hundreds of volunteers that would be arriving the following weekend. With the help of the Habitat van, we were able to move all the greeting supplies and t-shirts for the volunteers to the Hainford site in Scarborough.

Elida Huignard
President
Wo-Built Inc.

Look for our next instalment of this amazing experience in future postings on our forum.

links:
Wo-Built Inc. Partners With Habitat for Humanity Toronto's Women Build Initiative
Habitat for Humanity Toronto - The Women Build Blitz - May 1-9, 2009
Arundel Gibson on Twitter

Wo-Built Inc. Partners With Habitat for Humanity Toronto's Women Build Initiative

Photo: Elida Huignard at a volunteer shift during the Women Build Blitz
2009 © wobuilt.com

The Women Build Blueprint:
The objective: Breaking the cycle of poverty for 16 Toronto families, and generating thousands of new donors and volunteers to increase our ongoing build capacity.
The scope: 16 Energy Star® homes
The target: $2 million dollars
The launch: May 10, 2008 (Mother's Day)
The build blitz: Scheduled for May 1st through May 9th, 2009. A Women Build Blitz; thousands of Toronto women uniting to build homes and hope in their community.
The build site: Hainford St. (Lawrence Ave. and Manse Rd.)

We would like to give our wholehearted support to Habitat for Humanity which is a wonderful cause after our own heart. Our president, Elida Huignard has most generously volunteered her services as a Crew Leader and has already worked her first shift last week. She will be reporting on her experiences and the general progress of the project in our upcoming posts on our forum. Look for the exciting details!

Wo-built Inc. would like to congratulate Habitat for Humanity for a great project and offer our unconditional support for a worthy cause.

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
On May 1st – 9th, Habitat for Humanity Toronto will host thousands of women for its Women Build initiative. These women will come together to build homes with low income families in the West Hill area of Scarborough. The Women Build is all about the solidarity of women, and the power to change the lives of those in need. It is also a tangible way for women to directly help other women. This Blitz Build will go down in Habitat for Humanity history as the largest Women Build in Canada, and our goal is to raise $2 million dollars.
For more information, please visit www.helpwomenbuild.ca,
email womenbuild@torontohabitat.on.ca or call 416-755-7353
by Joanna

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