DOBBINS HEIGHTS — Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills is gathering volunteers for a crew that will tackle small scale home repair projects in Dobbins Heights with a goal of starting similar groups in other areas of Richmond County.
Habitat will hold three required training sessions conducted by staff at Richmond Community College from 9 a.m. to noon on May 18, June 1 and June 15, according to Executive Director of Sandhills Habitat Amie Fraley.
The group, which is planned to have at least 12 volunteers, will perform tasks, including installing wheelchair ramps, repairing porches, cleaning yards and trimming hedges for residents who are homebound or otherwise is unable to perform the tasks themselves. Volunteers must then commit to at least one monthly project. Fraley said volunteers can serve for one month and then rejoin at a later date.
“My hope is that by having (a project) every month, we’ll get some good momentum going,” Fraley said at the Dobbins Heights Town Council meeting last week.
Fraley said that if the Dobbins Heights group performs well, Habitat will try to replicate this model in other cities in Richmond County.
These projects will be separate from the work that goes into the home constructions that Habitat facilitates in the county. Volunteers can be any gender, must be at least 16 years old, and are not required to have any prior construction experience, according to Fraley. Habitat will have supervisors on site initially, though volunteers may be allowed to run certain projects themselves as they build experience.
“What we’ve found is that there are great people within every community that want to make things happen in their community, but they could use a little bit of help,” Fraley said.
For more information about volunteering, call Fraley at 910-295-1934. Habitat is giving out cards in Dobbins Heights and at the Town Hall, which those interested in volunteering can fill out and then snap a picture of to send to a number listed on the card to volunteer.