When Ellie Mae signed on as the 2019 Women’s Leadership Build’s Premier Sponsor, it made perfect sense to VP of Information Technology, Linh Lam. “For Ellie Mae,” she said, “this is right up our alley.”
This day at Central Commons – Habitat’s 30-home affordable development in Fremont – was about just that: bringing homeownership within reach of more families. But the Women’s Leadership Build was also about empowering women as agents of change in the face of our housing crisis, which really struck a chord for Linh. “In organizations’ efforts, whether they’re in the corporate world or out in the community,” Linh said, “things are just much more successful when you have more women involved, when you have more women leading the charge.”
The Women’s Leadership Build was a prime example. “It was just amazing to be out here with these women changemakers,” Linh said. When faced with construction challenges, Linh loved watching women come together with great solutions, time after time. “We need more of that in our community,” she pointed out. When she saw how many female crew leaders were guiding volunteers, she said, “No wonder things are going so well here.”
Because of the work these women did that day, the site was transformed by afternoon. And because of the support raised – and the $25,000 sponsorship from Ellie Mae in particular – Habitat will continue building forward. Linh sees the momentum forward happening off the construction site as well: “I think about these women, I think about how I grew up, and I think about my own daughter,” she said. “It’s just really encouraging to see everyone here and to think of the next generation of girls that we’re raising. We’re setting a great example.”
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