This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
03/22/2016 12:00 AMTo build a house, you need wood, nails, and contractors, but to build a home, you need a community. Raise the Roof, a shoreline Habitat for Humanity connection dedicated to the elimination of poverty housing through community participation, is getting ready to build its 13th house, and organizers are asking for Guilford residents to help make it a home.
On Saturday, May 21 on the Guilford Green, Raise the Roof will host Build on the Green, a project where sections of a new home will be constructed by volunteers right in the center of town. Raise the Roof board member and event co-chair Timothy Carney said the build is a great opportunity to be a part of an inspiring project.
“We recently held the groundbreaking for the house, and are now welcoming volunteers to help us complete the build,” he said. “The rough walls we build in Guilford will be used in building this house.”
The new house will be located at 2 Strong Street in New Haven and a family has already been selected for the new build. Carney said 12 rough walls will be built on the Green and they are looking for plenty of volunteers.
“The volunteers will be asked to lift and position two-by-four beams into pre-set configurations and to nail the pieces together in the form of trusses and walls,” he said. “The spirit of the day is teamwork, and the aim is to have fun while doing something worthwhile for the community.”
Raise the Roof is looking for a total of 72 volunteers—60 to construct the walls in four, 90 minute shifts, and 12 volunteers to set-up and clean-up.
“No special skills are required to volunteer either at the Build on the Green or at the job site itself,” Carney said. “Skilled supervision will guide the volunteers in their efforts, and no one will be asked or expected to perform tasks beyond their abilities. Safety is our first priority.”
Carney said while most of the day will be about building and community, it is also a chance for people to learn more about Habitat for Humanity.
“Raise the Roof holds the Build on the Green primarily to raise awareness for the charity and to underscore the hands-on method we employ to build our houses,” he said. “The event makes it easy for our core community to volunteer for a short time in helping to build a portion of our next house, and we hope that this stimulates more people to volunteer for an entire day on the job site in New Haven.”
Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older and are asked to sign up online.
“This is a great way for a family, a neighborhood, or an organization to spend time working together and benefiting a deserving family,” he said.
To donate or sign-up for the build, visit: http://raisetheroofct.org/page/28690-Build-on-the-Green-2-16.