RAVEN CONNOLLY
Residential Carpenter & Crew Lead, Habitat For Humanity
Updated April 7, 2020: Affordable housing is incredibly important to our communities, especially during these uncertain times. Habitat for Humanity's mission is to build simple, decent and reasonably priced homes for those who need them most. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted us all, but now more than ever, organizations like Habitat for Humanity need funding to continue their important work. Make a donation today.
When many tradeswomen step on a jobsite, they’re outnumbered by men. Raven Connolly’s experience is unique. Her first job after her carpentry pre-apprenticeship was on a crew of all women building housing for Habitat For Humanity in Portland. “I always imagined if I was going to get into the trades I would be surrounded mostly by men, and that never bothered me,” she says. “But it’s been a very surprising and pleasant experience to be surrounded by so many other women.”
Like builders and makers since the beginning of time, Raven knows that working hard side by side is a powerful bonding agent. That inherent communal nature of the trades is made even sweeter by her all-lady crew. “We work in teams; we’re dependent on one another to get things done. That appeals to me—the team element of it. To be forming relationships with these women through work, through labor, is really powerful.”
Raven grew up watching her dad, grandfather and uncle working with their hands building boats and houses. When she wanted to lace up her work boots and follow suit, she ran into a challenge. “I would ask my dad or my male friends, how do I assemble this? How would I build this shed? And then inevitably they would just do it for me. That was really frustrating.”
Enter Oregon Tradeswomen, a Portland-based pre-apprenticeship program that helps women join the ranks of the construction industry. Alongside a fleet of females passionate about building and making, Raven earned the skills and strategy she’d been craving. While in the program, she took part in union visits, got a primer in construction math and participated in workout sessions with a cross fit trainer to gain vital strength for the job site.
Her current work represents the power of sisterhood on so many levels. Not only has Raven seized the opportunity to befriend and build alongside likeminded ladies, but some of the homes she helps build provide single working mothers with the stability they need to reach their potential. Plus, Raven gets to pass along her knowledge to female volunteers through Women Build—a Habitat For Humanity program that enables everyday women to help eliminate poverty housing by participating in home builds and engaging with their communities.
“A lot of women find it really exciting and empowering to be given a power tool and taught how to use it and taught how it works. I think learning how things work can be extremely helpful for feeling confident. I don’t like to push the tools on women, but I definitely like inviting women to use the tools and showing them that they can learn how like anyone else can.”
Learn more:
Habitat for Humanity | Portland Women Build | Donate to Habitat | Safety of Home
While current local projects are temporarily on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis, we continue to honor and celebrate the women of Habitat for Humanity in Portland, Oregon.