Directions to a bright new future: Make a turn at Habitat for Humanity. Yield to hardworking people in need. Look for the TECO team members just ahead.
And here we are, at the new home of Tangerla Burton and her four children. She put in the hard work to participate in the physical construction of the house with help from a safe, reliable source: the women of TECO.
Women Build is the name of the program, from Habitat for Humanity, and TECO was again a partner in the effort that recently saw the creation of a brand-new home in Tampa for another qualifying homeowner-to-be. With safety as the top consideration, the work was hot, labor-intensive and precise amid the crack of hammers and spinning saws.
It was also rewarding in ways that few such efforts could be – perhaps never more so than when Tangerla strolled inside her finished home for the first time:
“My emotions are running rampant at this stage of the game,” she said of that moment. “I’m excited, but nervous, and also anxious. It’s considered part of the American dream to be able to own your own home, but unfortunately it’s a dream that many people never get to achieve.”
In fact it was the second year in a row the women of TECO have worked with Habitat for Humanity – they’re getting pretty good at this homebuilding thing! If “community” can be defined in part as “more than one,” then their dedication is indeed playing a direct role in building a stronger community.
Meanwhile, the home itself, as important as it is, is part of something far bigger than the sum of its many parts. Did you know children from Habitat for Humanity-sponsored homes are 116 percent more likely to pursue post-secondary education?
To get to the construction phase of the Women Build project, however, required money to purchase building materials. Here, TECO team members again hammered home how much they care: over two years, 83 total women builders from the company raised more than $52,000.
“I’m so proud of what the power of teamwork and the belief in community can bring to this world – especially collaborating with people I love working with,” said TECO Business Analyst Rebecca Washington, whose Women Build team had a little additional help from students in the Tampa-based nonprofit she runs, S.O.A.R. First. “Building a home might the last thing I thought I’d be doing when I joined the company, but the rewards have been amazing. Nothing can replace the opportunity to be part of Women Build.”
Tangerla was eager to return the praise.
“I worked with women using power tools, lifting trusses for the roof, building frames for walls,” she said. “I thrived from the energy they gave off – that you can be strong but feminine at the same time – and being from TECO, they also provided me with some tips on how to be energy-efficient. I would like to thank Habitat for Humanity, TECO, TCM Bank and countless other sponsors and volunteers that helped make my dream a reality.”
TECO team members who care about the community we share with you and a family with a beautiful foundation for the future: the value of Women Build far exceeds what any four walls can contain. Just ask homeowners like Tangerla. Ask the women of TECO. Ask the children living out new memories of a better summer, the kind of memories that make a community – playing safely on the sidewalk, in front-yard grass, running inside for supper in a home they can call their very own.
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