Page 152 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2021

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story by Lynn Lofton photos by Katherine Sowers
Habitat for Humanity
There’s a beautiful new house waiting for a family to make it a home in Gautier. It’s the recently completed Women Build project of Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The 1,300-square-foot house is the culmination of the 2020 program that was di erent because of the pandemic.
Normally the focus for Women Build
is ‘raise funds and raise a hammer’ but women volunteers could only raise funds last year while the actual construction was left to professionals. Still, their e orts are outstanding and will be enjoyed by a fortunate family.
This year’s co-chairs were Cheryl Cooper with Navigator Credit Union, Nicole Martz with IP Casino Resort Spa and Karol Brandt with Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort. Each of their companies sponsored the home along
with Boomtown Casino, Lowe’s and the Dermatology Clinic.
“Last year we had to move forward without volunteers although the women who raised funds came for the framing stage and
many of them left encouraging messages
on the walls,” said Lindsay Avery, director of resource development for Habitat for Humanity. “They also came back to see the nished product.”
The 131 participants and corporate sponsors, who came from all over the Coast, raised $112,000 for this build. “They did well even though construction costs now are up,” Avery said. “A home this size usually costs $140 to $150,000, depending on the purchase of a lot.”
Women Build’s motto is Every Woman has the Power to Change the World. Habitat
152 | May 2021
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