Elizabethtown College Society of Women Engineers Participates in Women Build Week

Elizabethtown College Society of Women Engineers participated in the Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity Women Build Week this fall, helping to renovate a local home and raising over $1,000 for the organization.

“I could see first-hand the demo work that goes into a home before it is rebuilt,” Engineering major Lauren Comly ’23 said. “I’m thankful for Habitat for Humanity sharing the importance of affordable housing with us. It was an awesome experience!”

The project took place in parallel to Etown’s annual service event, “Into the Streets”, on Saturday, Oct. 22. Women Build Week is a week-long event that provides opportunities to work on Habitat for Humanity construction sites and empower women to build upon their skills, as well as support one another. Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity featured three active home-build sites, which were worked on by an all-female construction crew.

The students worked on a local home in Lebanon, Pa., demolishing the second-story structure. The demo team was made up of seven Etown students, consisting of Comly, Natalie Barlow ’24, Claire Cuvo ’24, Jean Farley ’23, Olivia Swope ’24, Bridget Ward ’24, and Amelia Wittmaier ’25.

Etown’s Society of Women Engineers, which is chartering this spring to become an official section of the national organization, also raised over $1,000 to be donated to Habitat for Humanity with the help and support of Etown alumni, family and friends, campus community members, and local businesses.

Habitat for Humanity has close Etown ties including alumna Abby Evans ’20 who serves as a Development Administrator for the organization. Evans organized the event and facilitated the connection with current Etown students to the project.

Etown’s Engineering and Physics Department motto, “Educate for Service. Engineer for Society” was at the forefront of the project throughout the day. The Engineering students were able to come together from several different concentrations such as mechanical, environmental, and civil engineering, and used their talents to support a local non-profit.