Just a block north sits another house, with shiny windows smiling back at the sun. You can almost smell the new paint from the curb and hear children laughing in its family room. A quick view from the tree-lined street out front shows an established neighborhood–yet, just a week before, this neighborhood, this home, did not exist.

It was built by the hands of its owners and a group of spirited volunteers, as part of Habitat for Humanity’s 21st Century Blitz Build. The home is one of five constructed during a frenzied week in early June; it is one of 20 homes scheduled to be built in West St. Tammany in 2003. It’s not a palace, but it’s a far cry from the dilapidated house just a stone’s throw away. It’s what Millard Fuller, International Founder of Habitat for Humanity, describes as a “simple, decent place to lay your head,” a need for any human being.

To some, what’s more amazing than the home’s seven-day construction is that it was raised entirely by the hands of women. Susan O’Neil of Exxon Mobil and Patty Shore of Donahue Favret Contractors supervised the construction on the “Women Build,” and volunteers from throughout the parish provided the womanpower to see the project to completion. It was a collaborative effort, to be sure, and yet all involved agree that the venture’s success is due in no small part to one woman–Maura Donahue.

“She is the powerhouse behind this home!” enthused Ann Borne, executive director of the St. Tammany West Habitat Chapter. After the success of a women-built home constructed in 2002, the chapter sought to make the build an annual event. As a long-time supporter of Habitat and an active member in the northshore community, Donahue seemed a perfect fit to head up the mission.

“When we asked Maura if she would do this, she said ‘yes’ and never looked back,” remembers Borne. “She was so instrumental in spearheading the volunteer effort and securing donations. The entire community is involved in this one home because of Maura’s reach throughout the area.”

Donahue not only brought in willing volunteers, but she made recruitment look easy. She assembled members of her family, her business staff, friends and neighbors. The result: more than half of the volunteers working on the five Blitz Build homes were female.

“Maura’s the type that, if she’s involved in a project, you want to be involved, too,” remarked co-worker Sue Bell of Donahue Favret Contractors. “When she came into the room, her eyes were always alight with excitement,” she said, recalling one of the monthly organizational lunch meetings that Donahue not only led, but hosted at her own expense. Each monthly meeting would begin with a prayer, as would many nights Donahue spent worrying about the project’s success.

“Maura told me that she would stay awake some nights just trying to figure out how to raise all the money we needed,” said Bell.

But the prayers found their way, and a slew of supporters resounded a “yes” to Donahue’s call. At an update meeting in late May, just before the Blitz Build week, the project had raised in excess of $50,000 beyond projected fund-raising dollars. Donahue’s requests for donations materialized swiftly into countertops, cabinets, lumber and insulation.

“There were so many resources, and the project was simply over the top,” said a thankful Borne. “I found that Maura is not only a woman of influence, but a woman of God, and a woman of her word.”
Yet, for all of her hard work, Donahue humbly insists that she was but a cog in the wheel that is Habitat. She remarks that it is difficult not to be excited about the mission to eliminate poverty housing, and that the effort that goes into directing a build is but a small part of the overall result.

“It was a daunting task at the outset,” says Donahue. “But I liken it to the old dilemma of how best to eat an elephant.”

The answer, of course, is one bite at a time. And that’s just how she organized her efforts. She found that the women she recruited were inspired by the one-week challenge, and that more women were able to dedicate their time to a quick project rather than a more time-intensive build. Plus, women felt empowered to do what’s generally considered “man’s work,” and they found satisfaction in seeing completion come so quickly.

Donahue also maintains that the work was made easier by her belief in the mission of Habitat for Humanity itself. The organization asserts that “substandard housing brings down the entire community” and that by joining together “everybody wins.” Habitat is a grassroots, non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing organization founded in 1981 by concerned citizens. The local chapter’s mission is to eliminate substandard housing in St. Tammany West by 2025, through 100 percent business participation. Houses are built and sold to those in need, with no interest charged on the mortgages. The program is not a “give-away,” however, as partner families invest hundreds of hours in sweat equity. Habitat believes that the homeowners’ lives are transformed, and they become stronger members in the community who go on to make a positive difference.

“Any reason is the right reason to get involved with Habitat,” says Donahue. “The mission is not about any one of us, it’s about the community.”

That may be true, but so is the belief that it takes just one flicker of fire to start a blazing flame. And for the 2003 Women Build, Maura Donahue was that determined spark.

Copyright 2003-2006, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.

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