Are you wondering what to do with your summer and are above 16 years of age? Why not volunteer at Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga! Not only will you gain valuable volunteer experience that you can mention in a resume, but you will also have the opportunity to give back to your community. Volunteering is a great way to have a positive impact in your own community and learn new skills.
Why volunteer at Habitat for Humanity?
Since 1999, Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga has provided low-income families in need with affordable housing. This can only be accomplished through the hard work of our staff,volunteers, donors and community members.
We are always looking for new volunteers who want to help out in any way they can. Whether you are handy at building things or have a creative outlook on situations, you can contribute your skills by volunteering at one of our locations this summer.
What volunteer positions are available?
There are several locations in our Restores, Revive centres, and offices across the GTA where you can volunteer at and there are various volunteer positions available as well. You can most certainly find something that will fit both your needs and interests in the list below:
- Architecture Design Assistant (Construction – Burlington Office ONLY)
- Carpentry/Assembly (ReStore)
- Cashier (ReStore)
- Crew Member (Construction)
- Customer Service/Merchandiser (ReStore)
- Driver (ReStore)
- Family Services Program Assistant (Family Services)
- Onsite Assistant Coordinator (Construction)
- Pricer (ReStore)
- Researcher (Resource Development or Volunteer Department – Burlington Office ONLY)
- Scheduler (Volunteer Department – Burlington Office ONLY)
- Special Events Volunteer (Resource Development)
- Warehouse Support (ReStore)
- Writer (Marketing & Communications)
And much more! To see a full list of available volunteer positions click here.
How to become a volunteer
In order to volunteer, you must answer a safety training video and quiz, along with filling out a volunteer application that altogether only takes 30 minutes (or less) to complete. After you have gone through this process, you will then be able to sign up for your first shift! Remember that you must be 16 years of age or older to volunteer at one of our locations or construction sites.
However, if you are under 16 years of age then do not fret, for there are several other options that you can choose. You can come up with your own ideas on how to effectively get involved with your community or get together with your school community to raise awareness about our organization. Contact Melissa Foley at mfoley@habitathm.ca or call (647) 470-8413 if you have any ideas you would like to share or on how to get involved through fundraising for Habitat.
Hear from our volunteers
If you wanted a more personal take on what it is like to be a volunteer at our organization, hear from some of our very own summer volunteers!
“Just give it a try. Come in, ask questions. You’ll be sure to hear plenty of positive stories from enthusiastic people.” -Nicole Garcia, Volunteer
“Selfishly, I get the pleasure of interacting with a bunch of people, and I enjoy that – I think it helps that we have engaging people here,” He said. “But I think over the longer term it’s to give back to the community.” -John Petrie, Long-time Volunteer
“Everyday, when I wake up, I will know that I am coming to work to make a difference for a family out there. Poverty is an issue. It’s been around for so long that it’s being overlooked. It is still a major issue in the world, nationally and internationally.” -Kyle Fritz, Former Summer Student
Benefits of volunteering
It is common knowledge that volunteering is an excellent way to give back to your community, but very few know about the positive effects that volunteering has on an individual’s mental health. Volunteering helps reduce stress, anger and anxiety by connecting with others through a meaningful cause, according to Help Guide. Volunteering can also provide a sense of purpose to those who are unsure of what direction they want to proceed.
Additionally, volunteering can help further advance you in your career and encourage you to learn new skills that could aid you in your future. It will allow you to discover your interests and passions in an open, friendly environment. The influence volunteering can have on an individual will last for a lifetime and can be carried both their work and personal life. The most important thing to know when volunteering is to enjoy yourself and the position that you are volunteering for.
About Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership Program
In order for a family to be selected into our program, they must first fit the required criteria which will allow them to be chosen as a partner family. Being a partner family means a family that has gone through our application process and has been accepted into our program. We call our families our “partners” because they work closely with us throughout the construction process while their new home is being built.
The land that is needed to build the house on is either purchased or donated, and the same goes for the materials that are necessary to build the family’s new home. This is made possible through the funds we receive from sponsors and donors that are greatly appreciated.
The partner family is expected to contribute 500 hours of volunteer service and are aided by Habitat staff and volunteers who are trained in construction. When the family moves into their newly-built home, they are charged with a long-term, no interest mortgage that is customized to fit no more than 30 per cent of their overall income. As well, all mortgage payments are then used to pay for new land and materials that will go towards another family in need.
Volunteers play an important role in this process by helping us during the construction phase, helping our ReStore operations and keeping things running smoothly in our offices.
Sign up today!
Overall, Habitat locations in the GTA rely heavily on our volunteers who donate their time to our efforts to build homes for local families in need. Without their significant charity, our organization would be quite different from what it is today. If you decide that you want to become part of our organization, make sure to sign up to be a volunteer as soon as possible!
To learn more information on how to become a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga, visit our volunteer website.