Summer 2024 Trip to Hazard, Kentucky

After such a successful trip last summer building 2 houses for those in need, we are headed back to Hazard, Kentucky this June and we aim to make an even bigger impact! Our goal is to build 3 houses this time, so if you would like to help have an incredible impact on the lives of 3 families that will last the rest of their lives, come join us for this week-long trip, June 16th-22nd!

TRIP DETAILS:

June 16-22, 2024

Max of 36 missioners

Cost: $700 Age: Must have completed 9th grade.

THE TRIP HAS REACHED CAPACITY AND REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR WAITLIST, PLEASE DO SO HERE.

Hazard, as well as much of eastern Kentucky, was hit July 28th, 2022 by what meteorologists called a “1,000-year flood.” This means that a flood of this magnitude has historically happened only once every 1,000 years. This flooding damaged close to 10,000 homes, cost over 40 people their lives and left many families already facing financial hardship with nothing. We are partnering with the non-profit Housing Development Alliance (HDA) to rebuild the home and life of at least one family in just one week this summer. Will you join us?

The cost of the trip is $700 per volunteer, which covers things such as lodging, food, and rental vehicles, as well as contributes to the cost of materials for each house. A deposit of half the trip cost ($350) is due at time of registration so DreamBuilders can reserve the needed accommodations and vehicles. The remaining $350 is due by April 23rd. You are also welcome to pay in-full at time of registration.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE TRIP, PLEASE FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW:

  1. REGISTRATION (CLOSED: TRIP FULL). Join the WAITLIST HERE.

    Doctor, insurance information, emergency contact numbers and health information (allergies, medication list, estimated tetanus shot date), etc., are needed to complete your registration. Registration closes March 4th.

  2. Payments

    Deposit ($350) for the Kentucky Trip is due at time of registration. Full payments are also welcome. If not making a full payment at time of registration, remainder is due by April 23rd.

  3. DreamBuilders Liability Waiver

    This completed form will be required for all Missioners. When available, print, fill out and sign the form, and bring to the mandatory meeting (date TBD)

  4. Volunteer Consent Form for HDA

    This online form is required to be filled out by each missioner. In the “Name of Church/Group” section, put “DreamBuilders.” For the “Work Date” section, put “June 16-22”

  5. Review HDA Work Site Rules

    Review and follow the rules HDA has in place for all those participating in the build

MANDATORY MEETING SLIDES

If you are going on the trip, the slides from the mandatory meeting that was on May 16th can be found HERE. Please review them to make sure you are prepared for the trip.

ADDITIONAL TRIP DETAILS:

The slides from the General Meeting provide a comprehensive overview of this trip, plus additional information. If you would like to view them, please click HERE.

Just like last year, this summer’s trip will be what we call a “Blitz Build.”

In the span of 5 work days (Mon-Fri), we will go from just a foundation to a house that is completely finished on the exterior- walls, roof, doors, windows and even sometimes a porch (depending on the design)! It is an incredible experience to work with your peers, knowing each day you and the whole team are getting closer to bringing life-changing stability to a family. When you stand back on the final day and see a house standing where there was just a hole in the ground 5 days earlier, well, it makes it hard to wait until the next trip to do it again!

This trip will follow our usual format. We travel on the 1st and 7th days and work in between. Being a faith-based organization, we will have a Christian service on Sundays and a Shabbat service on Fridays.

Our group will be organized into smaller work teams, usually with a more experienced missioner who has gone on past trips working as team lead. Sometimes multiple teams will work together if the task needs many hands, such as passing roof trusses/framing up onto the walls, and other times the teams are given individual tasks (one team may install windows while another is shingling the roof, etc.). The organizations we partner with also have people on site who supervise and guide us every step of the way.

No prior building experience is required!!! In fact, many people who have gone on these trips have never done anything like this before, and at the end of the week, they come out not just with the knowledge of how to build a house, but having actually done it with their own hands! There will be experienced people who will teach you all the skills you need, and you will not be forced to do anything if you are still not comfortable with it.

On a Blitz Build, the tasks usually are:

  • Laying down subfloor
  • Framing and raising walls
  • raising and setting roof trusses/framing
  • putting plywood/OSB/sheathing on the walls and roof
  • shingling the roof
  • installing doors and windows
  • putting siding on the house
  • painting (sometimes)

After the work for the day is done (usually somewhere between 3 and 5pm), we head back to clean ourselves up, cook dinner, and take time to enjoy fellowship through games and other activities. Sometimes people are tired and just want to rest in the evenings, and that’s ok, too!

Any further information about the trip will be posted on this page.

Get inspired! Take a look at some photos of last year’s trip:

First Step: Subfloor!
Raising the walls we built
Truss Time!
Trusses set.
Putting up siding
Almost done!
2 Houses, 1 Group!