Hi there,
I’m Trevor, Volunteer Manager and guest blogger here to talk about something our organization couldn’t do without—volunteers. Volunteers are at the heart of our mission and show up for our organization in myriad ways. Their service extends far beyond just the ReStore and build site (which I’ll cover in-depth shortly), our Board of Directors are volunteers, many that serve on our homebuyer qualification committee are volunteers, none of our yearly special events happen without a volunteer touching it in this way or that; all that to say: volunteers are engrained in the fabric of what we do at every level.
Now, let’s talk about you: you’re able-bodied, you’re willing to serve, or maybe none of that is true, but you know someone or lots of someones who are. Whatever the case may be, there are plenty of ways that you can support our volunteer program, even if that’s just spreading the word that are accepting volunteers.
The two most straightforward ways to start volunteering are at our build site and our ReStore.
Build Site Volunteering: At the build site, volunteers work directly on Habitat homes. Tasks may include framing, painting, drywall installation, installing windows and doors, just to name a few. Volunteers should come with an open mind and willingness to try new things. No prior construction experience or personal tools are required. All training and equipment are provided. Volunteers should plan to bring lunch, a reusable water bottle, sunglasses, and a hat. Please wear clothes you are comfortable getting dirty, and close-toed, closed-heel shoes. Work boots or hiking boots are recommended but tennis shoes are fine as long as they cover your entire foot and have good traction. We utilize volunteers at our build site on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The build days run from 8:30am-3:30pm. Interested build site volunteers are expected to be present for the entire build day. Depending on the progress of our developments, we may use volunteers at either our Bloom development (285 Roselyn Street), our Heartside Hill development (1003 Brittany Drive), or both. Volunteers must be at least 16-years old to volunteer.
To register yourself to volunteer: please create a volunteer profile and sign up for build shifts through our general volunteer sign-up page:
All volunteer shifts post on a 1-month rolling basis. Build site volunteer shifts will close 72-hours before the scheduled build day to give our team adequate plan time for the build day. You can cancel your shift at any time through our volunteer site, but it’s appreciated if you cancel as early as possible if you know you won’t be able to attend the build day you registered for. Upon registering for any build shifts you will receive a confirmation email for your build day. If all available slots are taken for a build day, you’ll see the option to join our waitlist. If any volunteer slots open up, you’ll be notified by email that you were able to be pulled off the waitlist and registered to build.
To register a group to volunteer: We can host groups of up to 10 people on any build day as long as that day has not already been reserved for a different group. Please reach out to me to discuss a potential group volunteer build day. We are blessed to have a number of organizations, faith communities, and community groups that wish to sponsor us financially. Part of the benefit of sponsorship is priority scheduling and the perk of being able to pick a build day that is up to 6-months out from the given date. Any non-sponsor groups are still encouraged to reach out about scheduling a group build day but are limited to scheduling build days that are 2-months out from the given date. More often than not, Saturday build days have already been reserved by sponsor groups.
Upon confirming and reserving your build date, I will then provide a sign-up link specific to your group when your build day is 1-month out. This link can be disseminated to your team to register themselves for the build day. Volunteers from your group have until 72-hours before the build day to register to build.
ReStore volunteer: The ReStore supports our mission by generating funding for Habitat homes through retail sales of donated goods. Volunteers help by cleaning, organizing, staging merchandise, interacting with customers, and processing donations. Volunteers must be at least 14-years old to volunteer. Our ReStore is located at 4001 S. Taft Hill Road.
To register yourself to volunteer: We utilize volunteers at our ReStore Tuesday thru Saturday during the hours of 9:30am-5:00pm. Interested volunteers do need to complete a ReStore orientation before volunteering. To start, first create a volunteer profile and sign up for a ReStore orientation through our general volunteer sign-up page:
With some exceptions, we hold ReStore orientations on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10:00am. These orientations cover the ins and outs of volunteering at the ReStore, conclude with a tour of the facility, and normally last about 45 minutes. After orientation is completed, you’ll be free to register to volunteer at the ReStore. The three available shifts are: our morning in-store shift (9:30am-1:00pm), our afternoon in-store shift (1:00pm-5:00pm), and our truck assistant shift (10:00am-12:30pm) where you’ll accompany our team in picking up donated products from donor’s homes. All ReStore shifts will close for registration 24-hours before that shift is set to occur. You can cancel your shift at any time through our volunteer site, but it’s appreciated if you cancel as early as possible if you know you won’t be able to attend the shift you registered for.
To register a group to volunteer: We can host groups of up to 6 people on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as long as other groups have not already been scheduled and there is adequate group volunteer work. A typical duration for a group shift at the ReStore is 2-3 hours done between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm. A ReStore orientation is not required to volunteer as a group as myself or another ReStore staff member will lead your group through your volunteer project and will be available for any questions you may have. Please reach out to me (Trevor Lewis, Volunteer Manager – tlewis@fortcollinshabitat.org) to discuss a potential group volunteer ReStore day. We are able to schedule groups up to 6 months out. Upon confirming and reserving your ReStore date, I will then provide a sign-up link specific to your group when your volunteer day is 1-month out. This link can be disseminated to your team to register themselves for the day. Volunteers from your group have until 24 hours before the scheduled date to register to volunteer.
Additional volunteer opportunities:
Special Events: A few times a year, we host special events, some big, some small. All are supported by the helping hands of volunteers. The tasks we use volunteers for vary, but almost always include volunteer shifts to help with event set-up and breakdown. If you’d like to be notified when any special event volunteers opportunities arise, please reach out to me (Trevor Lewis, Volunteer Manager – tlewis@fortcollinshabitat.org) and I’ll add you to my contact list to notify when these opportunities arise.
Unexplored ways to serve: If you have an idea of how you might be able to serve our mission in a way that is not listed above, feel free to reach out to me to discuss. I can’t promise I’ll take you up on your offer, but I’m more than willing to hear how you might partner with our organization.
However you choose to support our organization—with hands, word of mouth, financial support, or just well wishes—thank you for supporting our mission of affordable housing and building homes, community, and hope.
