Habitat for Humanity Women Build Draws Dozens of Volunteers to Seminole County

An eight-months-pregnant volunteer showed up with a tool belt and spent the day framing walls in Seminole County, her story becoming one of the most-shared moments from this year's Habitat for Humanity Women Build campaign, which brought dozens of women to construction sites in Sanford and Altamonte Springs throughout March.

Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka launched the 2026 Women Build initiative with build days running every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from March 5 through March 28, pulling together more than 30 Women Build groups from across Central Florida. Volunteers ranged from corporate executives and college students to retirees and first-time home builders, all donning hard hats and tool belts to frame walls, install insulation, lift lumber, and level beams alongside licensed contractors, including a team from construction company Finfrock.

"Women Build is about more than construction, it's about empowering people to come together and make a lasting difference for families in our community," said Penny Seater, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. "Every team that participates helps bring another family closer to safe, stable homeownership." Seater also stressed the role of corporate partnerships in sustaining the program's reach across the county.

The initiative runs parallel to both Women's History Month and International Women's Month, and organizers say the timing is deliberate. Shanda Lee, speaking to the program's deeper purpose, pointed directly to housing insecurity among women juggling work and family. "What happens is women end up being the ones who are struggling to be able to work full-time jobs and care for their families and have an affordable place to live that's so important for their family, for the dignity of their entire family," Lee said. "And so the Women Build initiative really focuses on that fact, brings that fact to life, and helps women come together and work together to raise each other up."

For Julia Finfrock, who works in the construction industry, the sight of a job site run largely by women carried its own significance. "There's definitely not as many women out there on a job site as there are men, so it's always fun to see women out there," she said.

On at least one build day, a future homeowner worked alongside the volunteers. Participant Matt Schlagheck noted the weight of that: "I worked with this group of ladies today along with a future homeowner and Habitat staff. They ALL did a great job getting this new house built for a wonderful Habitat homeowner."

The pregnant volunteer drew particular attention on social media after her husband, Joshua Blankenship, posted about the experience. "My wife, at 8 months pregnant, was one of the amazing women that showed up to help that day," he wrote. "They worked their butts off with the assistance of the licensed contractors. It was a great opportunity for these women to give something to the community."

A community outreach coordinator captured what keeps volunteers returning beyond a single build day: "You can donate money, and that's wonderful, but when you spend eight hours lifting lumber and leveling beams, you leave with a sense of accomplishment that stays with you. You can point to that house years later and say, 'I helped put that roof over a family's head.'"

With affordable housing demand continuing to grow across Central Florida, Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka says community-driven efforts like Women Build are filling a gap that policy alone has not closed.