The Rocca Sisters Blog

It was a beautiful fall morning last Saturday, September 29^th when Cathy and Tanya Rocca, along with several female members of the Rocca Sisters Team, arrived at the Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga building site, also known as Crew-Goetz Landing project, where construction of an 18-unit townhouse complex is taking place at 2384 Queensway Drive. The project, which broke ground in May 2018, brought together over 30 women to roll up their sleeves on Saturday for the Women’s Build Day, affectionately called Diva Day. “Diva Day is a terrific opportunity for the women in the community to show our support for this amazing project”, said Cathy Rocca. “We loved the idea that we as women can roll up our sleeves and do some hands-on work to help make progress in building these homes for deserving families. We showed up, willing to learn and work, and I think we demonstrated that strong women, working together, can do just about anything. We want to leave our mark on the community because actions speak louder than words.”

There were pink hard hats as far as the eye could see, and women were put into groups that worked on various aspects of townhouse complex. One team of women framed an upstairs bedroom, while another built a set of stairs, and yet another constructed platforms to make the build itself safer. “It was such a rewarding experience for everyone who participated. At the end of the day, we all signed our names on the frame of the structure, along with our best wishes for the families that will be moving in,” said Hanna Glen, a member of the Rocca Sisters Team. “At first, I was a little intimidated, as I did not have much experience with building or power tools. But our lead hands were excellent teachers, and by the end, I was able to use a circular saw, a table saw, and a drill without breaking a sweat. I encourage anyone who is interested to volunteer for this empowering and fabulous experience. I will absolutely participate again!”

The construction, which started May 8^th, 2018 and is expected to take around 18 months to complete with help from an average of 25-50 Habitat volunteers per day. Each of the 18 units will be 1,100 to 1,200 square feet in size.

For more information about this event, and to view a video of Diva Day, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RoccaSisters To learn more about this and future builds and how to donate or volunteer, please visit https://habitathm.ca/