Build Like A Girl: Event helps girls break barriers

Local Girl Scouts used hammers, saws and even blowtorches to build and decorate birdhouses at a special event in Davenport. The girls and birdhouses came together for the annual Build Like A Girl event on Saturday, March 9. The event, hosted by Bush Construction, aimed to show area girls they are capable of doing big […]

Local Girl Scouts used hammers, saws and even blowtorches to build and decorate birdhouses at a special event in Davenport. The girls and birdhouses came together for the annual Build Like A Girl event on Saturday, March 9. The event, hosted by Bush Construction, aimed to show area girls they are capable of doing big things, like having a career in the male-dominated construction industry.

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“I hope the girls today find out they can do anything a boy can do,” said Stephanie Hintermeister, a Bush Construction official and the coordinator at the Build Like A Girl event. “I hope they see construction is for everyone and I hope they have fun today.” About 15 Bush Construction volunteers teamed up Saturday with the Girls Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois for the event that centered around building birdhouses and inspiring local girls. (That event was held at Bush Construction’s new warehouse at 643 E. 59th St., on the northern edge of Davenport.) "The Build Like a Girl workshop has inspired so many girls to explore the construction field. Thanks to our friends at Bush Construction, Girl Scouts can get hands-on experience in a way they may never have experienced before,” Diane Nelson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, said in a news release. “Every girl leaves this event with confidence and a big smile on her face, knowing that she can do anything." The event, strategically scheduled on March 9 – the day after International Women's Day – marked the conclusion to Women in Construction Week. As volunteers celebrated the achievements of women in the industry during Saturday's event, they also noted that women make up approximately 10.3% of the construction workforce, according to the latest statistics. In addition to getting a look at the world of construction, Saturday’s event provided the local girls the opportunity to earn their Girl Scouts woodworking badge. The 15 girls – representing eight different local Girl Scout troops and in grades six through eighth – were at Saturday’s event to get another badge for their uniforms and show they could use tools to build a home for the birds. “We are here to help you, but you will be doing the work,” Ms. Hintermeister told the girls and volunteers before the building work began. That work centered was spread out across eight tables, each containing a blueprint of a birdhouse, nails, glue, sandpaper, hammers, saws and other tools. There also were enough volunteers so each girl received one-on-one guidance from a professional in the construction field. One of those volunteers, Jake Cashen of Bush Construction, was helping Audrey Gibney through the many steps of building a birdhouse. “I have two girls of my own who are about the ages of the girls here. I just enjoy helping out and giving back,” he said. At another table, Ms. Hintermeister was helping Harper Ryan through the job of measuring twice and cutting once when it came to sawing a piece of wood that would become one of the sides of the birdhouse. “I’ve never built a birdhouse before. This is fun. I think I’m doing good,” Harper said just before putting the roof on her birdhouse. Harper, in fact, was the first Girl Scout to finish the structure and head to the final table – the paint station to put the finishing touches on the new birdhouses. The scout selected purple and green for her creation. Several other girls, though, took a different route for their finishing work on the houses. They went to a table that had several blowtorches. The flames were used to give the birdhouses a rustic, burnt finished look. Audrey was one of the girls using the blowtorch at that table. “This is a dream come true,” she said as used the flames to finish her birdhouse project. All those birdhouses – whether partially burnt or painted – may serve as a reminder of the bigger goal of the day – helping girls break barriers and gain new skills. "Being a part of the Build Like a Girl workshop is incredibly fulfilling. It allows us to instill confidence in these young girls and showcase the diverse opportunities available to them in the construction industry,” said Ms. Hintermeister, who also serves as the president of the local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).  This is the fourth year  Bush Construction, a design, development, and construction company headquartered at 5401 Victoria Ave., Davenport, has partnered to host the Build Like A Girl event.