On June 15, Pam Stoneham, associate dean of the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology (START), added to Durham College’s (DC) 50 Acts of Kindness by taking part  in the Habitat for Humanity Durham: Women in Power Build 2017 with an all-women group of colleagues. The female-focused build rolled out across three days and saw 150 like-minded women from all professions and backgrounds join forces to build new homes for local families in Oshawa and raise funds for the cause.

Stoneham, who is also an ambassador for Habitat for Humanity Durham, was joined by a DC team that included Mary Pearce, Sue Moore, Julie Hauber, Melissa McLean, Arian O’Neill-MacLellan, a DC graduate and START welding professor, and students Nataskki Frazer and Michelle Pegg.

While participants enjoyed a quick Zumba warmup, entertainment and lunch over the course of the day, among other treats, their energy was focused on helping to build safe, decent and affordable homes for families in Durham Region.

“Initiatives like this are a great opportunity to highlight that the skilled trades are a place for women,” said Stoneham. “It was a privilege to work alongside women on a build project that contributes so meaningfully to our local community.”

Habitat for Humanity Durham is a chapter of Habitat for Humanity Canada, a national non-profit organization with a mandate of working towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. The Women in Power Build project is part of the group’s larger Women Build initiative that is held across the Greater Toronto Area. Since the event started in 2009, over 5000 women have taken part and constructed 85 homes. Additionally, over $4 million dollars has been raised as a part of this event through fundraising and sponsorship of the volunteers.

Donations to the Habitat for Humanity Durham: Women in Power Build 2017 campaign are still being accepted and can be made via the DC team’s fundraising page.