SPRING APPEAL — Every dollar through April 30 is matched 2:1 by the Holcombe Family Foundation.
Volunteer · Hudson Valley · Open enrollment

Show up once. Or once a month.

We run open build days the second Saturday of every month, plus quarterly skilled-trades days for the experienced. No experience needed, no minimum hours required, no background-check fee. Tell us your name and we'll send you a calendar.

240+Volunteers in FY25
3,800Hours contributed
12xBuild days / year
Volunteers building Volunteers at site Group photo
— THE FOUR ROLES —

Four ways to show up.

Whether you've never picked up a hammer or you've spent twenty years on residential framing crews, there's a Your Business role that uses what you bring. Pick one, or pick all four — the calendars overlap.
— OPEN BUILD DAY · NO EXPERIENCE

The second-Saturday roster.

The flagship volunteer opportunity. Show up at the active build site at 8am Saturday, leave by 4pm. We provide tools, gloves, lunch, and a site lead who will give you a job that matches what you can do. Demolition, painting, landscaping, insulation, drywall sanding — depending on the build phase.

NO TOOLS NEEDEDNO MIN. HOURSLUNCH PROVIDED
2nd SaturdayFREQUENCY
8am – 4pmHOURS
— SKILLED TRADES · EXPERIENCED

The trades roster.

For carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, finish carpenters, and HVAC techs with at least three years of professional experience. Quarterly skilled-trades days — Saturday or Sunday, your choice — paired with our site lead, on the technical work that volunteers can't do.

3+ YRS PROFESSIONALOWN HAND TOOLSVERIFIED
QuarterlyFREQUENCY
~25 hrs/yrTYPICAL
— OFFICE & FUNDRAISING

The front-office roster.

Help with fundraising letters, donor outreach, event planning for the spring appeal, the annual Bridge & Build dinner, the quarterly newsletter mailing. Front Street office in Beacon, weekday afternoons. About 8 volunteers a quarter.

NO PHYSICAL DEMANDWEEKDAY AFT.BEACON OFFICE
FlexibleFREQUENCY
2 – 4 hrs/wkTYPICAL
— RESIDENT SERVICES

The support roster.

For volunteers with social work, financial counseling, legal aid, or housing-counseling backgrounds. Pair with Renée's resident services team to help current Your Business families with paperwork, benefits navigation, and quarterly home check-ins.

BACKGROUND CHECK1-YR COMMITMENTTRAINING PROVIDED
MonthlyFREQUENCY
~50 hrs/yrTYPICAL
— UPCOMING DATES —

Three build days on the calendar.

The next three open build days. RSVP at signup form below — same form for every role and every date. We'll confirm by email a week out with site location and what to bring.

May10
— 2nd Saturday · 8am–4pm

Newburgh new build · framing.

Framing day on the new 3-bed in Newburgh. We'll be raising walls and getting sheathing up. Open to all skill levels; trades welcome.

— 412 Liberty St, Newburgh, NY
Jun14
— 2nd Saturday · 8am–4pm

Beacon rehab · interior demo.

Rehab-in-place project on the Highland Place cottage. Demo day — gentle on the cottage, hard on the bathroom. PPE provided.

— 28 Highland Pl, Beacon, NY
Jul12
— 2nd Saturday · 8am–4pm

Kingston rent-trust · landscaping.

Landscaping and exterior cleanup at the Wall Street, Kingston building. Lighter physical demand; great for first-time volunteers.

— 124 Wall St, Kingston, NY
Volunteers at a build day
— SIGN UP —

Add yourself to the calendar.

One form for every role. Tell us your name, your role preference, your skill level, and we'll send you the monthly schedule with site addresses. We email the calendar the first of the month; you RSVP per build day, no minimum commitment.

If you have skilled-trades experience — carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry — there's a separate roster, and you'll be paired with our site lead for the technical work.

— WHAT YOU GET —

What a Your Business build day actually looks like.

i.

Tools, gloves, PPE.

You don't need to bring anything but closed-toe shoes. We have hammers, drills, drywall knives, paint rollers, hard hats, safety glasses, work gloves.

ii.

A real site lead.

Marcus and his crew run every build. You won't be standing around wondering what to do — you'll have a specific job and someone showing you how. The pace is real but humane.

iii.

Lunch from Lola's.

Catered by Lola's Café in Beacon — they donate the lunch. Sandwiches, salad, soup in winter. Vegetarian and gluten-free options every time.

iv.

A real day's work.

You'll go home tired and proud. You'll have built or fixed a measurable thing. We tell you what you contributed, by name, in the next quarterly newsletter.

— FROM THE VOLUNTEERS —

Three people, three reasons.

I've been to nine build days. The Newburgh framing day in 2024 is when I knew I was going to keep showing up. You can see the work get done.
— Mireille Ostrow
Volunteer · 14 build days
As a retired contractor, I have nothing left to prove on a construction site. Your Business gave me somewhere to put thirty years of skill that wasn't a paycheck.
— Carl Henning
Trades roster · 4 yrs
My daughter and I started doing build days together when she was twelve. Her college essay was about a Saturday in Beacon, framing a closet wall.
— Anna Veracruz
Family volunteer · 3 yrs