Getting Involved
CONSTRUCTION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Helping out with the construction of a Habitat home
can be a richly rewarding experience. It’s a great way for anyone
in the construction trades to give something back to the community.
Do you have construction skills?
If we are to reach and sustain our goal of building a home each
year, we need to find more volunteers with construction skills. We need
people with construction knowledge who can give us an occasional Saturday
to serve as a crew leader or site supervisor on one of the houses. The
volunteer positions that are needed most are:
Construction Site supervisors
Habitat for Humanity needs contractors and professional house builders
to lead volunteer work crews on Saturdays. Our houses are very simple,
one-story, 3 bedroom homes. Site Supervisors work with the Crew Leaders
to divide up the work for the day and to lead the unskilled volunteers
in the day's task list.
Construction Crew leader
Habitat for Humanity needs people with some construction skills and
people skills who can volunteer on occasional Saturdays as Crew Leaders.
On Saturdays, each house has a Site Supervisor who can show the crew
leaders what needs to be done. The Crew Leaders show the unskilled volunteers
what to do, but always have the Site Supervisor to go to if they have
questions. The houses are simple, so Crew Leaders don't need to know
everything about construction. They just have to be willing to work
with eager, unskilled volunteers in small groups of 2 to 10.
“People Who are Handy with Tools”
Some home handy people are not comfortable being crew leaders. But Saturdays
go more smoothly if we have some handy people working alongside the
unskilled volunteers. Even if you can only sign up for a Saturday once
every few months, that is extremely helpful.
Mid-Week Habitat Construction Volunteers
Habitat needs a few good retirees or others who have a day off during
the week to volunteer to work on our Mid-Week Construction Crews. We
currently have a Friday crew who have a great time together working
together every week You don't need to come every week, but once you
get started you will want to because it's so much fun. And you don't
need to have any construction skills, but you will have plenty after
a few months.
Masons, Electricians, and Plumbers
One of our greatest and most costly needs in house construction, is
the specific skill that can only be performed by skilled masons, electricians,
and plumbers. Anyone who has professional experience in this field is
a highly prized volunteer. We work flexibly with scheduling.
To volunteer for any of these roles, please call
the Habitat office at 540-967-0486 or e-mail us at brownsb@verizon.net.
If your Web browser can display PDF files, you may print the Volunteer
Form and mail it to the Habitat office at P.O. Box 1179,
Louisa, VA 23093.
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Although construction volunteers are vital to Habitat,
we also need non-construction volunteers to help with the following:
Communications and PR Committee Members
Help spread the good works of Habitat! Our Communications Committee
will help make Habitat better known to our community. Will also work
closely with several other Habitat committees to publicize certain needs
or volunteers opportunities, and for special Habitat events.
Saturday On-Site Volunteer Coordinators
We need a several people to volunteer to take turns being on the site
each Saturday to ensure that every volunteer signs a liability form
before picking up a hammer, gets a nametag front and back, and knows
where the tools, restroom, and first-aid kit are. The On-Site Volunteer
Coordinator is responsible for establishing a friendly atmosphere by
introducing the skilled leaders to the unskilled group and introducing
the Partner Family. The volunteer coordinator needs to wait to jump
into the action until all construction volunteers have a task. This
is a great role for someone who is outgoing. Helping set up lunch would also be helpful.
Family Advocate
Habitat needs people who would be willing to volunteer three or four
hours a month as Family Advocates. Our Family Support committee can
train you to work with a family and be their liaison with Habitat from
the time they are approved as a partner family until they move into
their new home and beyond. Other people provide expertise on budgeting
and homeowner skills. The advocates provide friendship and moral support.
House Dedications Coordinator
We need a volunteer to plan and organize a fun, memorable House Dedication
ceremony/service for each family once they've moved into their house.
We'd be happy to show you how we've been doing it: a little song, a
little celebration, and a little food! The partner family invites friends
and family, and Habitat invites donors and all the volunteers who have
worked on the house.
Landscaping Coordinator
One or two garden-happy persons to coordinate landscaping of our houses
once they are finished. This includes searching for discounted or donated
plants, working with the partner families to know where they would like
some plantings, and scheduling a landscaping day with volunteers to
do the planting.
Volunteer Coordination Committee Members
Make phone calls and email churches, businesses, and community organizations to recruit volunteers.
Special Events Volunteers
Volunteers who help occasionally throughout the year with Habitat
related functions.
To volunteer for any of these roles, please call the Habitat 540-967-0486
or e-mail us at brownsb@verizon.net.
If your Web browser can display PDF files, you may print the Volunteer
Form and mail it to the Habitat office at P.O. Box 1179, Louisa, VA 23093.
TO DONATE
Your gift of money or materials is needed to help
build simple, decent affordable homes for hard-working, deserving families
here in Louisa County. We rely solely on local support to fulfill our
mission of eliminating substandard housing in our area.
Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization; therefore,
your gifts to Habitat are fully tax-deductible for federal income tax
purposes. Donations may be mailed to:
Louisa County Habitat for Humanity
P.O. Box 1179
Louisa, VA 23093
If you would like to make a donation of materials
or land, please contact us directly at 540-967-0486 or e-mail at brownsb@verizon.net.
Donation of building materials, new or used, can be made to Charlottesville's Habitat Store.
Information about the store can be found here.
We also accept donations of used vehicles in running condition. We sell
donated vehicles and use the sales proceeds to help build homes.
SPONSORING A HOUSE
Churches, businesses and civic organizations can sponsor
a house or a part of a house by providing a portion of the money and
volunteers needed to build a house. A sponsorship for half a house would
be $30,000 and most of the volunteers for about 9 Saturdays. Or a group
may choose to be a Saturday sponsor by donating $1,000 and the volunteers
needed for one Saturday during construction. If an organization would
like to support the Habitat mission but does not have enough volunteers
for the commitment, we have other volunteers who would like the opportunity
to work and would be happy to work with the sponsoring group. Working
together on a Habitat home is a great way to bring a faith or business
community closer together.
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