Volunteer & Participation
Fun, hands-on, hard work!
Build site activities can include anything it takes to build a home from start to finish. Some typical volunteer activities include: framing, siding, painting, roofing, laying flooring, hanging doors or windows, trim work, landscaping and cleaning. All of it is critical to a finished home and a healthier, more stable family. Here’s an overview of the day:
8:00am: Registration
8:30am: Construction
11:30am: Lunch (provided by Habitat Lake County or a generous community sponsor)
12:30pm: Construction
2:30pm: Clean up
3:00pm: Wrap up and Departure
Toilets and first aid will be on-site at all times. We will have some water and beverages available but also recommend that volunteers come with their own beverages to stay hydrated. You will work in project teams under the supervision of our construction leadership. During lunch, you will have the opportunity to learn more about Habitat Lake County and spend time talking with your crew. After lunch, you will return to a work to finish out the day.
We’ll begin wrapping up before 3pm and send you home with some sore muscles and happy memories!
Team Captain spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in becoming a Team Captain, please fill out this form.
If you are interested in participating as an Individual Builder, you can fill out the same form. We will begin confirming Individual Builder dates in August.
All build days are first come, first served. We anticipate volunteer days to fill quickly, so the sooner you register, the better! Individual Builders can always contact us via the registration form to see if there are individual slots available.
Women Build 2023 will take place on two build sites in Waukegan, IL. The exact build site address will be sent to participants before the event.
While Women Build seeks to bring awareness to the difficulties that women face on the path to homeownership and encourage women to participate in the work of building homes, this event does not exclude participants of any sex or gender identity.
No, we encourage everyone from professionals to novices to come build with us! There are a variety of jobs perfect for every level of skill. Habitat Lake County staff members will provide on-site training and all-day guidance, as well as the tools and materials needed to complete the tasks at hand.
Nope! We’ll provide all the construction tools and materials on-site. Some people choose to bring their own tool belt or gloves for comfort, but please be sure to clearly label any personal tools/equipment you bring to the build site.
You’re dressing for an active construction site!
Volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and long pants, while avoiding loose clothing and jewelry. We recommend clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and layering for the weather as many tasks will be outside.
We will be distributing Women Build t-shirts at check-in to those who have reached their minimum individual fundraising goal, so come ready to change!
You must be at least 16 years of age to volunteer on our build site. Anyone under 18 must bring a guardian-signed-waiver with them to the build site and be accompanied by a chaperone with a ratio of at least 1 chaperone for every 4 youth builders. All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age.
We’ll meet you there! There is free street parking near the build sites, but we encourage carpooling or using a ride share with other volunteers if possible.
Fundraising
Once registered, all Women Builders will receive a link to set-up their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign page to help with their fundraising efforts!
Each Individual Women Builder commits to raising $250 and each Team commits to raising $2,500. This may seem like a lot now, but you may be surprised how easy it is to reach that goal when you make genuine appeals to your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. People really love supporting the their people 😊.
A 4.5% fee per online donation goes to payment processing (which donors are given the opportunity to cover or not cover); the rest goes to home construction for women-led households, covering things like cement work, lumber, insulation, finishes, landscaping, tools, staffing, and other construction costs.
You can enter a check as a pledge online. You can do this from the “My Donations” section of your fundraiser dashboard and selecting “Add Cash or Check” when you are logged in.
After entering online, send or deliver the check to the Habitat for Humanity Lake County office as soon as possible. Once Habitat for Humanity Lake County receives the check, we will process it and ensure it is counted toward your $250 fundraising goal.
Checks should be made out to Habitat for Humanity Lake County and mailed to:
Habitat for Humanity Lake County
ATTN: Women Build
315 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
Waukegan, IL 60085
Important! Please include a note that says Women Build 2023 and the name of the fundraiser to whom the donation should be credited.
It is not a good idea to send a cash donation in the mail. Please contact us at [email protected] to drop off the cash at our office during business hours:
Habitat for Humanity Lake County
ATTN: Women Build
315 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
Waukegan, IL 60085