It takes many helping hands to complete a build:
Since Habitat’s first build in 2009, we have had many amazing volunteers. They have come in groups and as individuals to help us accomplish each of the four builds currently completed in Yorkton.
High School students, both of the local High Schools have been very well represented in working on our builds. Other High School students from Langenburg and Churchbridge have also been actively involved at some point with many of the builds. These young and athletic individuals have supplied a lot of the ‘Grunt’ labor required in demolition, moving materials in and out of the build sites as well as providing much needed manpower in the trenches shovelling crushed rock to the areas that it needs to be placed. These students generally come on School time with supervisors that oversee the use of their valuable time volunteering. This has been a great learning experience for them and has taught them the importance of giving back to their community.
Business groups have scheduled their regular work time to include a day of volunteer time. We have had the Farm Credit Corporation volunteer for a day to build a fence, the local detachment of the RCMP spent a day laying sod side by side with volunteers from the Yorkton Terriers hockey team. The Canora Health Region had a group of volunteer ladies come to the build site to construct and install 2X4 walls, learning many new skills such as using power tools and the importance of a ‘framer’s square’ or a basic ‘level’ to ensure the walls are ‘plumb’.
Mosaic is very well represented on each build, they come from Esterhazy to assist with whatever portion of the build needs representation. Mosaic have been present on 3 out of the 4 homes built in Yorkton and are committed to spending time on future builds.
Many of the volunteers are not on the build site, but are behind the scenes. For example the food services coordinators, the food preparation and delivery people. They generally make an appearance only once a day during the build, but they are committed daily to ensuring the volunteers are fed a healthy and hearty lunch every day they are on site. Volunteer coordinators – the people who line up the volunteers to be on site for each day of the build. These are other ways skills that are needed to help us build our homes and who help make us as successful as we can be.
