Photo courtesy of Habitat Humanity

Female stars from sitcoms and soap operas, as well as female business leaders will come together this weekend to help build homes for the needy and encourage women to pursue careers in finance, science and technology as part of Habitat for Humanity’s first ever Women Empowerment Build scheduled for may 22-24.

“Most Habitat for Humanity Chapters will have a women build day when women build one home.

We wanted to go a little further than that. That’s why this event where we will be starting construction of six homes and at the same time will have different themes each day about empowering women,” said Robert McLellan, spokersperson for Habitat for Humanity. The public is invited to register to participate in the event.

Sponsored by the Gas Company and in partnership with the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC), all these female role models will don pink hard hats and tool belts to pound nails, paint boards and help in the construction of six new homes at the project site located at 12600 Carl Street in Pacoima.

Among the personalities scheduled to take part in the effort are Molly Burnett and Arianne Zucker of “Days of Our Lives”; Hunter Tylo, Alley Mills and Kimberly Matula of “The Bold & the Beautiful”; Cassidy Freeman of “Small ville”; Vanessa Williams of “Soul Food” and “Lincoln Heights” and Holliston Coleman of “Medium”.

Besides helping in the construction of the six homes, there will be presentations from keynote speakers encouraging women to participate in the affordable housing home ownership movement, as well as pursue careers in the science and technology fields. Others will talk about the need for more women in fields that explore new and green technologies. other highlights of this event include the planting of an urban community garden at the site.

“Many of our families have women as heads of household,” said Habitat for Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys CEO Donna Deutchman in a press release. “We wanted to do more than just have a day where women build.We wanted to help our mothers and their daughters realize they too can be active agents of change to make a better community for themselves and their neighbors. The women coming to this event are at the top of their professions and want to encourage others by their example, and by sharing their success.”

McLellan said the response to this first ever Women Empowerment Build has been positive.

“We have over 350 people confirmed already. it will be an event where you will see a lot of women that people know and young starlets that they’re familiar with,” said McLellan.

The Pacoima site will feature 61 homes, 37 of which have already been built. it is the largest Habitat for Humanity Project west of the Mississippi, said McLellan.

The site also features what Habitat for Humanity calls “The Enriched Neighborhood Model” which brings social and educational services into the site, apart from regular programs offered to home owners such as repair and money management.McLellan said a recent survey conducted on the owners of the first 20 residents of the project shows this model is quite successful.

While only 43 percent Pacoima area high school students graduate, in Habitat’s planned community the children have a 100 percent high school graduation rate with 92 percent attending or having graduated from college or a trade school, and with over 50 percent graduating from a 4-year university. many adults have also gone on to college and, within 3 1/2 years of moving in, Pacoima Phase 1 families have reported an average 14 percent increase in income.

“It really accomplishes our motto to ‘give somebody a hands up,not a hand out’”, said McLellan.

The event is open to women aged 16 and over from across the region.Registration is $40 ($20 for students) and participants are asking their friends and family to sponsor them with additional donations. For information, call (818) 884-8808 or visit www.HumanityCA.org. All the money raised will be used to build the remaining homes at the site.

Women Power: Building Homes for the Needy