More Than 200 Women Begin Framing of Four New Habitat for Humanity Homes During 10TH Annual “Power Women Power Tools”

Lowe’s, Union Bank, & Sony Pictures Were the Top Sponsors of the Milestone Event

Fun Group Shot 1Los Angeles, CA – June 25, 2014: Construction commenced on four new Habitat for Humanity homes in Lynwood last Saturday, thanks to the more than 200 women who volunteered during the 10th Annual Power Women Power Tools (PWPT) event with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA). This year, the event put hundreds of professional women from various sectors, including corporate, entertainment, education and faith to work framing homes alongside more than twenty HFH GLA partner homeowners.

The four homes are part of a seven-home neighborhood currently in progress in Lynwood. The site will feature six homes that are two stories with three bedrooms and 2.5 baths and a three-bedroom, 1.5 bath single story home, which was designed by Michael Graves, a long-standing advocate for the disabled, to be handicap accessible.

View photos from this event here.

PWPT attendees were fortunate to hear from single mom and veteran, Roxana Gomez, who is purchasing and will live in one of these homes, at the start of the build day. Roxanna shared with the volunteers her struggles as a single mother and her journey to homeownership with Habitat for Humanity.

“It was an honor to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this event in the company of so many amazing Power Women,” said Erin Rank, President and CEO of HFH GLA. “When this event began ten years ago, we knew it would be special but we never dreamed that it would have the tremendous impact that it’s had on the housing landscape in Los Angeles. PWPT volunteers over the past ten years have built a lot of homes and I can’t wait to see what the future of this event will bring!”

Since 2005, 2,500 PWPT volunteers have helped build 68 homes locally and also have framed walls for two homes that were shipped to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf region. “Power Women Power Tools” is a landmark event for HFH GLA and Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity (HFHFH), the organization’s entertainment industry program, increasing in popularity every year. The 10th Annual “Power Women Power Tools” was made possible through the generous support of primary sponsors Lowe’s, Union Bank, and Sony Pictures Studios.

“We are excited to have partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles to build four new homes in the Lynwood community as part of Power Women Power Tools,” said Maureen Ausura, chairwoman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “Lowe’s is committed to recruiting, educating and inspiring women to build decent and affordable homes in partnership with low-income families in their communities.”

During a lunchtime presentation, volunteers heard from Erin Rank and Maureen Ausura, as well as Lynwood Council Member Maria Teresa Santillan-Beas, a representative of Habitat’s Youth United program, and the Co-Founders of Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity Randall Wallace and Tom Shadyac, who moved the crowd to tears.

It was Toshia Williams, however who energized the crowd by sharing her story of becoming the first Habitat Partner Homeowner in Greater Los Angeles to fully pay off her mortgage. Toshia’s determined spirit gave the volunteers all the encouragement they needed to get back to work and complete the task at hand.

This year’s event attracted a large crowd with some high profile volunteers including:

Recognizable Power Women (and men):

● Jayne Avaunt – Singer/Songwriter
● Maureen Ausura – Chief Human Resources Officer, Lowe’s – (Host)
● Nanette Barragan – Councilmember, City of Hermosa Beach
● Janine Sherman Barrois – Executive Producer/Writer, Criminal Minds – (Host)
● Angelique Bates – Actress
●Josh Beech – Model/Musician
● Camilla Belle – Actress – (Hon. Host)
● Hillary Bibicoff – Attorney, Homes Weinberg
● Susan Booth – Partner, Holland & Knight LLP – (Host)
● Tess Broussard – Model/Actress
● Caroline Choi – VP, Integrated Planning & Environmental Affairs, SoCal Edison – (Hon. Host)
● Amy Devers – Designer/Host
● Loretta Devine – Actress/Singer
● Alexa Ferr – Recording Artist
● Shenae Grimes-Beech – Actress
● Cindy Hoag – Founder, Beach Cities Friends of HFH – (Host)
● Tracy Hutson – TV Personality/Designer – (Hon. Host)
● Eva Kalawski – General Counsel & EVP, Platinum Equity – (Hon. Host),
● Tina Knowles – Designer
● Kate Linder – Actress – (Hon. Host)
● Jennifer Livingston – SVP, Division Manager, Union Bank, (Hon. Host),
● Lisa LoCicero – Actress – (Hon. Host)
● Erin McConahey – Principal, Arup – (Host)
● Stacy McDaniel – The Leila Fund – (Host)
● Lindsey McKeon – Actress
● Alexandra McLeod – Actress – (Hon. Host)
● Ashley Noel – Actress
● Kelli Rose Normand – Singer
● Kelly Rowland – Singer/Actress
● Linda Russell – Regional President/SVP, Wells Fargo – (Hon. Host)
● Tom Shadyac – Producer/Writer/Director
● KiKi Shepard – Actress/Model
● Erica Tazel – Actress
● Analeigh Tipton – Actress
● Randall Wallace – Director/Producer/Writer
● Dionne Lea Williams – Actress/Singer
● Natalie Zea – Actress

The 2014 “Power Women, Power Tools” Host Committee:

● Maureen Ausura, Chief Human Resources Officer, Lowe’s
● Susan Booth, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
● Melanie Cook, Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP
● Cindy Hoag, Founder, Beach Cities Friends of Habitat for Humanity
● Erin McConahey, Principal, Arup
● Stacy McDaniel, Founder, the Leila Fund
● Janine Sherman Barrois, Executive Producer/Writer, Criminal Minds
● Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

The 2014 “Power Women, Power Tools” Honorary Host Committee:

● Dotsie Bausch, Olympic Silver Medalist, Cycling
● Camilla Belle, Actress
● First Lady Mae L. Blake, West Angeles Church of God In Christ
● Carol Block, Associate of the Chancellor, UCLA
● Cher Calvin, Anchor, KTLA News
● Sherry Caraway, Program Manager, The Home Depot Foundation Western Division
● Tia Carrere, Actress
● Caroline Choi, VP, Integrated Planning and Environmental Affairs, Southern California Edison
● Kristina Guerrero, Correspondent, E! News
● Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Sinai Temple
● Terri Haack, EVP & Managing Director, Terranea Resort
● Hon. Janice Hahn, U.S. House of Representatives, CA-44
● Gale Anne Hurd, CEO, Valhalla Entertainment
● Tracy Hutson, TV Personality/Designer
● Eva Kalawski, Partner & General Counsel, Platinum Equity
● Kate Linder, Actress
● Jennifer Livingston, SVP, Division Manager, Union Bank
● Lisa LoCicero, Actress
● Hon. Bonnie Lowenthal, CA State Assembly Member, D-70
● Alexandra McLeod, Television Host
● Kim McManus, Executive Director, Awaken Humanity
● Maria Menounos, Actress & Correspondent
● Hon. Grace F. Napolitano, U.S. House of Representatives, CA-32
● Jayne Parker, EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, The Walt Disney Company
● Hon. Fran Pavley, U.S. Senator, CA-27
● Monica Potter, Actress
● Pat Prescott, Radio Personality, 94.7 The WAVE
● Lori Raya, President, Vons, a Safeway Company
● Hon. Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. House of Representatives, CA-40
● Linda Russell, Regional President/SVP, Wells Fargo
● Holly Robinson Peete, Actress/Author
● Hon. Meghan Sahli-Wells, Mayor of Culver City
● Tiffani Thiessen, Actress
● Roberta Turner, Partner, Turner & Adams LLP
● Hon. Maxine Waters, U.S. House of Representatives, CA-43
● Danielle Zapotoczny, Strategic Advisor to the UN Creative Community Outreach Initiative & Sr. Director of Global Partnerships for the UN Foundation

What’s Next

The seven new homes being built will be sold to qualified homebuyers who are investing sweat equity hours building their future Habitat home and the homes of other Habitat homebuyers and have agreed to pay back a zero percent mortgage loan. Get more information about homeownership opportunities by contacting Habitat’s Homeowner Relations Department at 310-323-4663.

About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) strives to eliminate substandard housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families and individuals in need to build decent, sustainable and affordable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated more than 900 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar® Valued Partner and has achieved the coveted Charity Navigator 4-Star rating awarded to non-profits for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. For more information, please call 310-323-4663.

About Lowe’s in the Community

Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company, has a 50-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. Since 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $200 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com.

# # #

Media Contacts:
Jo-An Turman
HFH GLA
T: 424-246-3175
jturman@habitatla.org

Angela Moore
Starfish PR
T: 310-429-8868
angela@starfish-pr.com