Woman home contractor builds girls' futures

Joe Kernan
Posted 9/17/14

The generation that remembers posters of Rosie the Riveter from World War II may be fading from our midst, but Rosie lives on in a program designed to encourage women to do things they don’t …

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Woman home contractor builds girls' futures

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The generation that remembers posters of Rosie the Riveter from World War II may be fading from our midst, but Rosie lives on in a program designed to encourage women to do things they don’t traditionally do. Rosie the Riveter was intended to recruit women for war industries to fill the gap left by male workers who were enlisted or drafted into the Armed Services. It was very successful. According to the History Network, women workers made up 1 percent of the aviation work force before the war. By 1943, 65 percent of the workers in that industry were women. The 27 percent of women working in America before the war expanded to 37 percent at the height of the war effort. Rosie the Riveter was a fictional character but she inspired hundreds of thousands of women to do things normally reserved for men.

It is fair to say that the work of those women won the war, but the other, sad part of that history is that, even then, women were paid considerably less than men and rarely earned more than 50 percent of what men earned. More importantly, it empowered women to take on challenges and believe in their ability to do just about any job presented to them. There are still gaps in what men and women are paid for equal work, but there has been considerable progress since. Yet many young women feel the cultural pressure to do only what is traditionally expected of them and the idea of becoming a carpenter or a plumber remains exceptional among girls.

Carol O’Donnell, a Johnston resident, decided that she didn’t like that self-imposed limitation and decided to lead by example and provide training and encouragement to young women who want to try the building trades.

“I started in real estate,” said O’Donnell, acknowledging that that is not a radical departure for a woman, “but I looked around for ways to make a lot of money and I saw that buying lots and building on them was a way to do that.”

Naturally, she would have to know every aspect of building houses, so she picked up the tools and dug right in. Not only did she like the work, she decided that almost anyone, including women, can learn how to do it.

Now she has a thriving modular home and renovation firm and can spare the time to teach young women to do the same thing. When she heard about Rosie’s Girls, a program named in honor of the symbolic riveter, she volunteered. Now she conducts day camps that teach middle school girls how to use tools and make things.

“We teach them how to measure material and multiply and use screw guns and skill saws. They find it very frightening at first,” she said. “These kids have no experience with power tools. We help them get over their fear and use the tools safely.”

O’Donnell said the girls don’t have many role models and, just as our grandparents had to be persuaded that women could do the work needed to win a war, Rosie’s Girls is doing the same for a new generation of girls.

According to a press release from the YWCA, Rhode Island’s version of the program is patterned after the Rosie’s Girls program begun in 2000 by Vermont Works for Women. This is the second year for the YWCA’s camp, which is run in collaboration with Sophia Academy, an all-girls middle school in Providence, and the National Association for Women in Construction Rhode Island Chapter. Campers from grades 6 through 8 participate for six weeks, five days a week, seven hours a day, for free. Funding was provided by the United Way of Rhode Island/Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, Cox Charities Northeast, Rotary Club of Providence, Gilbane and Dimeo Construction, among others as well as generous individual donors. The Y says the camp costs more than $30,000 to run. O’Donnell and her son, Stephen Moio, 21, a senior at the University of Rhode Island, spent countless hours volunteering at the camp, teaching the use of tools, building benches and book cases and other projects.

“We teach them how to use a dremmel and they sign their names to the projects,” said O’Donnell. “They are very proud of what they build.”

O’Donnell said that not all of the girls in the program get the sort of encouragement and support many people take for granted and issues of poverty, race and gender are layered onto the circumstances the young women face. The sense of community and purpose the program provides helps to mitigate against those circumstances.

“Of course, Stephen is another reason for the girls to like the program,” said O’Donnell.

Moio is a student of criminal justice at URI and his enthusiasm for teaching the girls is an added encouragement.

“He has a big fan club. I think he’s very good with the girls and I think it’s good for him to work with the girls,” she said.

According to the release, tools and building are supplemented by visits from role models. Members of Rhode Island Chapter 52, National Association of Women in Construction, came to the camp and spoke to the girls about their work in the construction field.

“Camp staff led discussions about challenging expectations society has for girls and women. Guests included storyteller Valerie Tutson, scientist Trish Van Cleef and ‘The Rhode Show’ host Michaela Johnson. The girls also explored other nontraditional careers, like automotive technology, and had time for activities like soccer games and talent shows.”

O’Donnell is singularly appropriate for the program. When she’s not inspiring girls to stretch, O’Donnell does business as CRM Modular Homes Inc. and Emerald ReConstruction, in Johnston. She is a member of the National Association of Home Builders and a director of the Rhode Island Builders Association. If you have ever attended the Rhode Island Builders Association Home Show, she’s the builder who brought the full-sized house for display.

O’Donnell has been in the construction business for more than 20 years and a member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) for seven years. She is the director for Region 14 of the NAWIC, which includes Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and part of New York. She is past president of the local chapter, officially called No. 1 of Rhode Island, Chapter 52, of the NAWIC, a distinction she is very proud of.

“We enhance the success of women in the construction field with support and education. We also volunteer in our communities,” she said.

O’Donnell said Rosie’s Girls reaches out to girls to help them grow in a positive way.

“Rosie’s Girls would not have been possible without Carol,” said Deborah Perry, the YWCA Rhode Island president and CEO. “The girls love her. She is an extraordinary individual and extremely generous of her time and talents. Her passion for teaching students and empowering girls is infectious. Two words describe her best - role model and selfless.”

As for O’Donnell, she sees Rosie’s Girls as a recruitment tool for her company. Asked what would be the best result of the program, she said, “In 2016, we’ll be desperate for people in the trades. This is a way for women to earn a good living … Maybe five years from now, I’ll be hiring these girls. That would be wonderful.”

YWCA Rhode Island operates at two locations: 514 Blackstone St., Woonsocket, 769-7450; and 43 Hawes St., Central Falls, 722-1600. The Rosie’s Girls camp was held at the Sophia Academy in Providence. Further information on YWCA Rhode Island is available on the website for its print and online magazine, She Shines. Visit www.sheshines.org/rosiesgirls.

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