This is something we've been discussing for a while. I made a decision yesterday. We are getting off our backsides and contacting those people. They have several projects in this area.

Besides, it will be a way to "give" a little of ourselves. Hopefully with the work, a "little" of me will disappear!

I have to get a pair of hard soled shoes. Any suggestions as to those shoes? The only hard soled shoes I have are my dress shoes.

If you volunteer, what do you do? How long have you been doing it?

I'm the current president of a charity here called National Charity League, Inc. We are mothers of daughters in grades 7-12 who work to strengthen the mother daughter relationship through community service, leadership training and cultural experiences. That said, yes I do a lot of volunteer work. We work at the local senior center, a rehab hospital, the Braille Institute, Guide Dogs, local hospitals, Kids on the Block and more. Mostly we donate our time to help where needed and our work is done in all sorts of situations (bingo, serving food at fund raising dinners, washing dogs, etc.). This is my 5th year in this organization. (it is a National organization.)

My DD works at Applebee's and they have to have comfortable, non-slip shoes. She orders hers through Shoes for Crews (they have a website) and they do do have a couple pair there that might fit the bill for you (construction non-slip). Check them out--they look a lot more comfortable than some of the things my construction guys here wear!

Have fun working with Habitat! That looks like a lot of work. I watched them put up a house in 24 hours a couple years ago. Amazing how fast it went, although there had to have been months and months of planning and organizing that went on beforehand.

I have doing projects with Habitat for Humanity on several different occasions. Replying to your question about shoes....be sure they are thick soled shoes. On a spring break during my sophomore year in college I travled to Texas for a trip. Not knowing exactly what to expect I wore tennis shoes. NOT a good idea. A nail went directly through my shoe into my foot. Be careful and watch where you walk!! Overall, every project was an amazing experience for me. You will have a wonderful time. Way to go!!

mare, my husband is a plumbing contractor and we do some work w/Habitat here. If you are going to be on a working jobsite, you can get a women's pair of steel toed work shoes from somewhere like K-Mart. I have a pair just for those occasions when I need to go out to a jobsite. They're not pretty, but these are not about making a fashion statement, more for saving your feet from stepping on a wayward nail, metal or being crushed by something heavy like 2x4's or metal beams or drywall sheets, etc. You get the picture. Good luck and I think it's great that you guys are jumping in to lend a hand. Usually if you volunteer, you will do anything they ask, like pounding nails, carrying material, painting... they usually have the professionals come in to do stuff like plumbing and electrical work and maybe a general contractor may have a foreman out there to supervise everything else. It's hard work but very rewarding.

I know it isn't always like this, but my daughter had a very dissapointing experience with her first Habitat For Humanity house when she was in college. It seems the four kids that were going to live there showed up to check it out...all driving nicer cars, wearing nicer clothes and having "top of the line" cell phones. She didn't wish them to be needy...but...well you get the picture. Her next experience was more rewarding!

I had a VERY disappointing experience working for Habitat and I'll NEVER do it again. While working in the yard, grating and putting in the grass, I was, literally, heckled by the family...who were sitting on the front porch in lawn chairs, drinking beer...calling us crackers and other racial epitaphs. And to top it all off, around the corner where I moved to work out of site of the hecklers, I found a crack pipe in the dirt. Nice. Sorry...as far as I'm concerned, these "needy" people can plant their own friggen grass!!!

I hope your experience is better than mine was. I'm done...

I tried once, but apparently the crew chief here only wants women for the"girly" parts of the job...painting etc.

My mom is on the Habitat board in my hometown... I definitely want to get out to a build sometime.

I've worked on several crews locally and tried to go on further trips with my 6'2" son, who wasn't yet 16- they wouldn't allow him to go even with me.
Except for that, my experiences have been VERY positive- like anything else, it depends on the personalities involved at the local level. I'm a pretty good finish carpenter, so that's what I did.

I have steel toe work boots with an impenetrable lug sole. I wouldn't wear anything else.

Mel

I have volunteered a few times with Habitat. One time I put in insullation in a home (omg......so itchy), another time I painted, another time I helped make window structure frames........so they can have you do a variety of different jobs. I just wore my sneakers.