Yesterday, more than 100 of Hollywood's most influential women including Jeanne Tripplehorn,
Julie Bowen, Diane Farr, Paige Hemmis and Diana Hayden teamed up with
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles for "Power Women, Power Tools"
-- a one-day build event designed to empower and celebrate women while
raising awareness about the need for affordable housing. The annual,
invitation-only event, coordinated by Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity,
the entertainment industry's partnership with Habitat for Humanity,
featured some of Hollywood's most powerful women building two homes in
South Los Angeles at one of the build sites for this year's Jimmy Carter
Work Project (JCWP). Additionally, at an afternoon ceremony led by
Councilwoman Janice Hahn, 20 Los Angeles families learned that they
qualified as Habitat homeowners and will move into their new homes later
this year.
"We are thankful that Hollywood supports our efforts to draw attention
to the issue of affordable housing, and that these influential women were
able to play an important role in changing the lives of several local
families," said Erin Rank, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of
Greater Los Angeles. "We are also thrilled to celebrate today with these
local families who will become Habitat partner families this year."
The "Power Women, Power Tools" event took place at a build site located
at Vermont Ave. and 112th St. in South Los Angeles, one of the build sites
for this year's Jimmy Carter Work Project. The "Power Women" working today
helped put up framing for the homes and worked on other projects including
roof work. The participants included actresses Jeanne Tripplehorn ("Big
Love"), Julie Bowen ("Ed" and "Boston Legal") and Diane Farr ("Numb3rs"),
TV personality Paige Hemmis ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and author of
The Tuff Chix Guide to Easy Home Improvement) and former Miss World Diana
Hayden; along with top executives from Adeline Records, Creative Artists
Agency, Deuce Three Productions, Endeavor, United Talent Agency, Warner
Bros. Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, William Morris Agency, and
Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie, Stiffelman, Cook,
Johnson, Lande & Wolf.
"This day meant so much to all of us working on the build site. It's an
honor to be a part of something so important to the City of Los Angeles,"
noted Julie Bowen. "The true highlight of my day was meeting the families
who will one day live in these homes. Their stories are inspiring and made
me realize how important decent, affordable housing is to the stability of
a family."
The "Power Women, Power Tools" event was sponsored by Home Interiors
Charitable Foundation, part of Home Interiors & Gifts, a direct seller of
home decor accessories. Heather Chastain, senior vice president, operations
and sales support at Home Interiors & Gifts, was on-hand to participate in
the day's event.
"We are delighted to support the 'Power Women, Power Tools' event and
give back to our community and to future Habitat homeowners," noted
Chastain. "Our company has established a legacy of giving back, and I'm
thankful for our partnership with Habitat for Humanity which allows us to
give back in a very tangible, hands-on way."
The day kicked off with a welcome message for participants from Erin
Rank. During a lunch sponsored by Women In Film, a Habitat partner family
shared stories about what it means to become a Habitat for Humanity
homeowner. After the day's work was completed, a special ceremony took
place to surprise 20 Los Angeles families with the news that they qualified
to become Habitat for Humanity partner families. Their reactions were a mix
of shock and joy, from the adults as well as the children. Councilwoman
Janice Hahn congratulated each family, who were then presented with
certificates to document the special day. Additionally, 10 other families
who were previously told they had qualified were on hand to share in the
excitement. Some of the families will live on the South Los Angeles build
site where the "Power Women" built today and others will live in another
JCWP neighborhood in San Pedro. The Habitat for Humanity partner families
were chosen from more than 500 applications this year, and were selected on
a basis of need, their willingness to invest at least 500 hours of "sweat
equity" building their home and their neighbors' homes, and their ability
to repay a zero-interest loan. They will be able to move into their new
homes later this year.
Habitat could not build homes without its volunteers and today's event
was made possible by more than 100 women volunteers who gave up their
Saturday to make a difference in the lives of local families. "Power Women,
Power Tools" is made possible by the hard work and dedication of its Host
Committee, Steering Committee and sponsors.