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Habitat for Humanity hosts Women Build Week

A group of women worked together to build a new handicap-accessible ramp for a homeowner in the Poconos.

TOBYHANNA, Pa. — Using drills and hammers, these women put their carpentry skills to the test at a home near Tobyhanna.

"It's great. The whole team came out, they volunteered, and now we are here," said Lowe's worker Melissa Beckford.

Monroe County Habitat for Humanity partnered with Lowe's near Mount Pocono to celebrate International Women's Day with a Women Build project.

The ramp is being built for Lawrence Brelsford, who has two prosthetic legs.

"Oh, it's wonderful. I mean, they are all volunteers here, even the ones who do this on a weekly basis," Brelsford said. "I am going to pay it forward and do my part, too, and that's not only on my house but other houses as well."

Kelly Kemmerer is the executive director at the nonprofit organization. She says this is the first time Monroe County has been picked to participate in the project designed to empower women.

"We are so excited. It's so much fun. Women are not well represented in the construction industry, so having the ladies here today and them showing us what they can do is really great. We are so glad to have their help," Kemmerer said.

Not only is this exciting for the homeowner, but it's also exciting for the women who are building the ramp. Even though they do work at Lowe's, it's not often they get to put things together.

"We don't normally do this. There are a couple of us who have carpentry experience from family life, but we are all just jumping in where we can," Beckford said.

The Habitat for Humanity Women Build project runs through Sunday.

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