Outreach
2023 Habitat for Humanity Build
July 22, 29 | August 12, 19, 26 | September 9, 16, 23
Holy Innocents, St. James Methodist, Cathedral of St. Philip, St. Martin in the Fields, and St. Luke’s Presbyterian are sponsoring Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s summer faith build. All adult parishioners and teens 16 and older are invited to participate. No skills are required, just the desire to help an Atlanta family buy a home at a very affordable price.
To learn more about our Habitat participation contact John Harris at harris4338@gmail.com, 678-761-6765.
Habitat for Humanity Requirements
- All volunteers are required to register online individually. Each volunteer will complete our Release and Waiver form during the registration process.
- Registered volunteers will receive automated confirmation and reminder emails with a link to the Volunteer Information Packet and directions to the build site.
- The minimum age required to volunteer is 16 years old. Volunteers ages 16 and 17 must print their Release and Waiver form and bring it to the build site with a parent or guardian's signature.
- HI has 5 volunteer slots each Saturday. Please register at least 1 week prior to the build date. If our slots are full when you register, you register, you will be put on a waitlist in case the other churches don’t fill their slots.
Registration
- Click the button above.
- Click “log in” if you have created a VolunteerHub account with Atlanta Habitat before. If you have never created an Atlanta Habitat VolunteerHub account before, click “Create account” and follow the prompts to create your account.
- Now that you are logged in choose the date(s) you would like to sign up for and click the green “Sign up” button. Alternatively, click “join waitlist” if the build is currently full. If someone cancels, you will automatically be moved into their spot.
- Complete all the steps of the registration process including the waivers.
- Click “finish.” Now you’re registered!
Experiences from the 2020 Lenten Habitat Build
In 2020, Holy Innocents, Saint Benedict Catholic Church, Shallowford Presbyterian Church, and Cathedral of Christ the King sponsored a Lenten Habitat for Humanity Build. The build began Saturday, February 15, and was to be completed Saturday, April 4 until construction was abruptly halted in mid-March due to the pandemic. Despite the abrupt shutdown of volunteer participation, we were able to complete the exterior construction and begin interior work in only 4 weeks. Twenty HI members contributed their time and effort this year. Habitat employees and contractors completed the house in the summer. I asked three HI members who participated in the 2020 Habitat build, Doug Peterson, Andre Touzet, and Steve Taylor to share their Habitat work-day experiences.
Doug Peterson said,
I joined the Habitat build on Saturday, February 22. When I arrived at the site in the Lakewood neighborhood, I was immediately struck by the energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers present that day. It was an upbeat atmosphere of people who were excited to contribute to their community. The future homeowner was there and spoke of circumstances that led to her family’s need for Habitat’s assistance, which I found both heartbreaking and inspiring. My specific role was to build brackets for supporting kitchen cabinets as well as to help reinforce door frames. I had minimal construction experience and considered myself only modestly handy, yet I immediately felt like a welcomed, trusted, integral member of the team. While I focused on my tasks, another team was installing roof trusses overhead, and a third team was installing siding. When we broke for lunch, I sat with several members of a church in Roswell, and it was great to hear about their varied experiences with Habitat – some were seasoned veterans and a couple were first-timers. Our time went by very quickly, and it was amazing to see the progress and teamwork in just over a half day’s work. My first time participating in a Habitat for Humanity build was a truly rewarding experience. It was so fulfilling that I looked forward to participating in subsequent weekly sessions for this house. Alas, the pandemic lockdown took hold in March, which suspended volunteer opportunities. But a few months later, I saw a picture of the completed house, which gave me a deep sense of warmth and happiness for the homeowners, gratitude for the work of Habitat for Humanity, and pride for my small role in the project. I look forward to more opportunities to serve this organization.
Andre Touzet said,
I have participated in Habitat for Humanity building for many years. I find the outreach opportunity to be very fulfilling. Families are selected once they have invested hours in other builds. This outreach allows one to participate firsthand and get to know the family’s story and the struggles that they have overcome. In addition to the house, the selected family also is mentored by Habitat for Humanity for all aspects of home ownership. This has been a very rewarding win-win outreach opportunity and changes the lives of all participants. I look forward to a future build as COVID protocols permit.
Steve Taylor said,
I really looked forward to working on the Habitat project this year because it had been so many years since I last participated in a build. And I was not disappointed. It was a wonderful experience again this year, more so than I had expected. I'm very much into group/team efforts and Habitat is all that and more. Everyone can, and does, contribute, no matter how experienced they are (or not) with swinging a hammer. And the fruits of everyone's efforts are so physically and emotionally tangible. It was so satisfying to see whole structures rise into place right before your eyes, from the start of the day to the end of the day. But it was especially rewarding to get to meet, and actually have meaningful conversations with, the family that was going to live in the house. It's such an uplifting experience! This year's project was obviously impacted and cut short by the pandemic, but the two sunny Saturdays that I was able to participate, alongside my HI counterparts, could not have been more perfect. Hopefully, we will be able to participate again in 2021. I can't wait!!!