COVER’s Mission
Our goal is to restore hope and build community among families that are struggling with challenging housing and financial circumstances. By organizing volunteers from the community to work jointly on these repair projects with homeowners, we find that homeowner’s confidence increases significantly.
Home Repair 101
Please ask questions!
- Teaching/learning about home repair tools/techniques is a priority
- Wear eye and hearing protection, especially when using power tools
- The first aid kit is in the COVER trailer – ask staff for help
- Put tools that you borrow back after you finish the tasks requiring them
- Pick up scraps and tripping hazards
Rest & ReCOVER
- Take breaks & stay hydrated
Building Community 101
Engage with the Homeowner
- Say hello, ask questions
- Thank the homeowner for allowing COVER to come and work on their home
- Encourage other members of the work crew to engage as well
- You might consider asking about: stories from the UV or previous COVER jobs, passions, interests, and jobs
- Take breaks with other members of the work crew to have conversations outside of the day’s work
A Volunteer’s Story
“Even with the physical repairs we have completed, I appreciate most that COVER is a community-building program first and a home-repair program second. The pace of the workdays allowed us to intermingle the rhythmic sounds of hammers dropping over and over on 16 penny nails with the casual banter and laughter of strangers learning about each other. We all agree that COVER serves the community best when it provides a context for all of its participants to drop their guard, look each other in the eye and openly communicate. It was this ‘full contact sport’ mentality that required the greatest amount of energy and commitment to sustain.”
Danra Kazenski
Former COVER Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor
A Homeowner’s Story
“We had a rickety old staircase that I had to carry [our disabled daughter] up and down on, sometimes multiple times a day. It just got to be too much. Fortunately, we were able to work with COVER Home Repair who designed us a ramp to be built in place of our rickety stairs. Their friendly volunteers worked with my own family and friends to build us this absolute masterpiece of a ramp! The end product was so much greater than I could have anticipated. It has changed our lives dramatically! Thank you COVER.”
Harlei
COVER Home Repair Homeowner