By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
REGION — COVER Home Repair, located in White River Junction, Vermont, has a clear mission statement; to “foster hope and build community.” They aim to do just that by helping their community with home building and repair projects.
In the next two months, COVER will be in Windsor, Vermont and Charlestown, New Hampshire with their all-women project to aid in home repair. They are able to do so without any federal or state funding, as their projects are done with a strong volunteer base and knowledgeable carpenters that work with COVER.
For the last 24 years, COVER has utilized their volunteer staff to help community members with urgent home repair projects. They specialize in roof and accessibility ramp repair, but their trained professionals will take on whatever task is needed. Throughout the year, COVER takes on roughly 70 projects and works to winterize homes in the winter months. Their “barn-raising style” not only aids many local residents, but also helps to bring communities together with a common goal.
“It’s neighbors helping neighbors. It’s a way for folks in the community to get to know each other and not feel like we are just coming in and getting work done. We invite the homeowner to come and join the circle in the morning and want them to be part of the process. We are building bonds with the community,” said COVER’s Executive Director Helen Hong.
While they do have mixed gendered volunteer groups, the two coming to Windsor and Charlestown will be part of their all-women construction projects. The idea was created by COVER’s Home Repair Director, Diane Reinhardt, to help encourage women and non-binary folks to learn new skills and gain confidence in the construction field. According to Hong, 90 percent of commercial construction workers in the United States are male.
“It seems traditionally easier for men to take charge of the job site on a construction project. That can sometimes be less welcoming to someone who is less confident about trying construction. We’ve been fortunate to have on staff a female carpenter that has worked in the trades her entire career, and who is passionate about teaching. Wouldn’t it be great if we could shift the stereotype to what is an appropriate job for men and women,” said Hong.
COVER has received a grant from the Vermont’s Women’s Fund to help aid them in their projects. They hope to make volunteering as inclusive and easy as possible for anyone considering to lend a hand. According to Hong, COVER offers travel reimbursement and/or child care expenses to people who would otherwise be unable to attend. Hong also quoted Reinhardt in saying, “if you know how to sew, knit or cook those are skills that can lead you to learn how to build.”
The kind folks at COVER also want to let people who are uncertain if they are able to help to remember that no experience and no tools are required. Staff are trained to know the hard skills of carpentry and trained in the soft skills of teaching. A first timer can learn to use power tools and build. We encourage someone new to try it out, meet new people and meet their neighbor, and bring a friend.
Anyone hoping to sign up for the upcoming or any COVER projects are invited to visit the website – www.coverhomerepair.org/volunteer — or they can email Dave Coombs at [email protected] if they would like more information or to sign-up.
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