“We give women the tools they need to build a better future!”

After Nora Spencer renovated her home with her own two hands, she wanted to give other women not only the skills and confidence to do their own home improvements but to also launch new careers in construction. So she started a nonprofit to help women learn the trade—and changed hundreds of lives along the way!

- Alexandra Pollock

Nora Spencer looked around at her newly tiled bathroom and smiled at the amazing work…all done with her own hands. I knew I could do it! the North Carolina denizen thought, feeling deeply gratified. After all, since she and her husband had purchased their home, a foreclosure in need of some TLC, Nora had realized just how expensive contractors were—and sometimes, just how little one often got for their money.

Working for Lowe’s in human resources, she had decided to use her company discount on tools and went on a mission to learn how to DIY her home, shadowing a contractor and even watching videos on YouTube about tool usage, learning how to frame walls, run wiring and even do some plumbing.

It’s so empowering to be able to do this myself and to see my vision come to life, Nora reflected as she realized she had a passion for this hands-on work, getting involved in other renovations alongside contractors and tradespeople. But with every project completed, she found herself asking the same question: Are there any other women doing work like this? Or who realize that this could be a passion—or even a career—for them?

Uplifting and empowering

Years later, when Nora was pursuing a master of social work degree, the idea popped back into her head as she interned at a homeless shelter.