Rebuild Volunteer

Opportunity Description:

Volunteer with lowernine.org! We need your help to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans! We are always looking for individuals to join our volunteer construction crew and work on residential construction projects in the Lower Ninth Ward under skilled supervision. We welcome all willing and able individuals regardless of skill level throughout the year. We provide the necessary project training, tools, and safety equipment. You must have an up-to-date tetanus shot and active health insurance, and should consult with your physician if you have asthma or any known mold or dust allergies. The work we do is physically demanding. Individuals will join an international team, which works from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Tuesday - Saturday on our open construction projects in the Lower Ninth Ward. We expect all volunteers staying in our volunteer house to commit to this schedule full-time. The vast majority of the time, we work on residential building projects for individual pre-Katrina residents of our neighborhood, but we occasionally take on lot clearing, data collection, or collaboration with other nonprofits in the area. Please be sure to let us know if you have any specific rebuild-related skills or previous experience. We will do all we can to make the most of your skills, but as our project schedules are determined by many variables, we can't make guarantees. Our most common volunteer projects are framing, insulating, sheetrocking, tiling, painting and siding. We cannot tell you ahead of time what you will be doing, but all our projects are guaranteed to contribute in some way to the rebuild efforts of our neighborhood. Logistics: There is a program fee -- our volunteer coordinator will reach out with more information! In order to participate in rebuild projects, volunteers should commit to a minimum of two full days of work. We will arrange half-day or weekend projects for large groups whenever possible. Groups with members under the age of 18 will need one legal adult chaperone (over the age of 23) for each five minors. Volunteers under the age of 14 can only participate on rebuild projects alongside their families and not as members of larger groups. Individuals and small groups are invited to stay in our volunteer house. Groups larger than 12 will need to arrange their own housing and we can provide some contact information for local options as needed. Volunteers are allowed to stay elsewhere and commute to the house for work, but long-term non-local volunteers are highly encouraged to live in our volunteer house. We ask a $150/week housing fee for the first 3 weeks, and $50/week for each week thereafter for up to 3 months, after which point the weekly fee will be waived completely.

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