What
is the group size for build days? |
For
Washington, D.C., build groups are limited to 15 participants
on a weekday, and 12-13 participants on a Saturday. These
limitations are based on the number of Americorps volunteers who
are able to supervise the participants and ensure site safety.
For the safety of your participants, please adhere to these limitations.
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What time does the team need to be at the site? |
We
ask the group to get to the build site around 8:30-8:45am,
so they can check in, sign waiver forms and then get instruction
on the day's building activities.
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Do I need construction
experience to be a part of Buildable Hours?
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No,
Habitat for Humanity is specifically designed so that anyone can
participate. The on-site crew carefully creates tasks that can
be performed by its volunteers and then supervises the volunteers
throughout the day. Because safety is foremost at Habitat for
Humanity, all volunteers will receive on site equipment and safety
training at the beginning of the build day. The most complicated
work, including plumbing and electrical work, is performed by
professionals, so volunteers will not be performing these tasks.
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 When
will participating firms receive directions? |
In
a few weeks, we will be posting directions on our website (www.buildablehours.com).
Go to the website, click on "Participating Cities,"
select your city and then click on the link for directions.
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 What
happens if it rains?
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The
build goes on as planned, rain or shine. The on-site crew can
usually arrange indoor activities, such as dry wall work or painting,
in the event of bad weather. Even on days with inclement weather,
our Buildable Hours firms have still had a great time!
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  What time does the day conclude? |
The
day concludes between 4:00 - 4:30pm.
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  Could you give me some guidance -- what works best along the
food & drink lines? 
Do
we need
 
 
 
to have
enough food to cover the Habitat organizer(s) and Americorps volunteers?
  How
many
 
 
  people, aside from our firm, are generally at the site? |
- Picnic
type food works best, since participants will be eating at picnic
tables and your group (or caterer) will need to provide paper
plates, plastic utensils, etc.
- Firms
in the past have had pizzas and salads delivered to the site.
If you choose to take that route, be sure to make arrangements
in advance to locate a pizza place that delivers to your site.
Additionally, be sure to give the pizza place a contact person
who will have a cell phone at the site.
- If
you plan on using a caterer, just let them know it will be "picnic-style."
We also recommend bringing a cooler of drinks (e.g., water, sports
drinks, some sodas) to both drink throughout the day and at lunch
time, as it may be hot on the day your team builds. You could
also provide granola or sports bars as snacks during the day.
- While
you are not required to provide lunch for the Americorps volunteers
(approximately 6-8 volunteers) who work on the site, we try to
encourage firms to do so and the Americorps volunteers are very
appreciative if you do. Therefore, should you choose to provide
lunch for them, plan on providing food for another 6-8 people.
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  What should we tell our participants to wear? |
Buildable
Hours provides t-shirts to all participants, and we recommend
that they wear the Buildable Hours t-shirts. Not only will
it prevent more expensive clothing from being ruined by building
activities, it is also makes the group feel like a team and looks
great in pictures. In addition to the t-shirts, we recommend that
your team wear clothing that they won't mind getting a little
dirt or paint on (e.g., jeans, sweats, gym or other casual summer
shorts, sneakers, and possibly a hat to protect from the sun).
We also recommend that women participants not wear jewelry
to the site. Finally, remind your participants to bring sunscreen,
as they may be working outside most of the day.
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  Does Buildable Hours recommend we bring cameras to the build? |
Absolutely! We encourage firms to bring digital cameras to the
site. After the build, the firms can e-mail their digital pictures
to tracy.stratton@lw.com.
Tracy will post the pictures on the Buildable Hours website, and
you can circulate the link to the pictures to your participants.
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  Can we use the Buildable Hours logo for our firm's T-Shirts,
hats, etc.?
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  How do
I sign up for Buildable Hours?
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BH Toolkit

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