Volunteer
Join the dedicated volunteers who power our mission – help build stronger communities and brighter futures through affordable housing in DuPage County and Chicago South Suburbs.
Aaryanna Mercer, Volunteer Manager
Aaryanna (air-ree-yah-nuh) has been with Habitat since 2023 where she started as an AmeriCorps volunteer. She loves trying new restaurants, exploring Chicago, thrifting, and singing. She loves organizing and is empowered when mobilizing volunteers to make a difference in their community.
“So many people want to make an impact, but don’t know how. Habitat gives volunteers an outlet to be affordable housing champions in their own ways.”
Contact Aaryanna at amercer@gohabitat.org or 630-757-752.
Build Site + Affiliate Opportunities
Build with DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat! Whether you have construction experience or have never swung a hammer, we will find a place for you on our construction site!
Whether you’re seasoned pros or have never lifted a tool, DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat offers a fun, easy, and hands-on team building opportunity for companies. Strengthen your team on one of our construction sites or Habitat ReStores as we challenge them to communicate and work together to help build a tangible outcome: a home for a family in need of decent and affordable housing.
Employees return to the workplace motivated, connected, and inspired. We provide all the tools, materials, and training — you just provide a tax-deductible donation and the helping hands!
Why team build with DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity?
- Learn about your employees on a more personal level.
- Break down the hierarchy walls of traditional corporate structure.
- Assist in projects that provide a better future for other individuals.
- Provide a deeper connection to the area around you.
- Create a more stable environment for those in need.
- Share an experience that you can take back to the office.
Maybe you’ve already spent money on ropes courses, picnics or retreats, and those all certainly have their place. We believe it’s also valuable to invest time with your employees in meaningful work that will not only have an impact on them, but on the people they help for years to come.
Ready to start planning your company’s Group Build Day?
Contact Aaryanna Mercer, Volunteer Manager, at amercer@gohabitat.org or 630-757-7523 ext. 314 to get started and schedule your build day. Teams contribute a tax-deductible donation based on the size of your group.
Building strong, safe and stable communities isn’t something that we can do alone. It takes a village to build the foundation for success and we need you and your resources to help get there. Whether you’re a school, campus chapter, Rotary, Lions, or another community group, we honor the work that you are doing to make our community stronger and value a partnership that would allow both of our organizations to increase our reach and impact. Together we can do great things. With your organization’s support we can build a world where everyone has a decent place to call home.
We also welcome members of every faith to join us in putting our faith into action by putting our own blessings to work for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or Buddhist, we are each connected by the idea that we are all our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
Ready to start planning your community Group Build Day?
Contact Aaryanna Mercer, Volunteer Manager, at amercer@gohabitat.org or 630-757-7523 ext. 314 to get started and schedule your build day. Teams are asked to contribute a $500 tax-deductible donation to help cover construction costs of preparation and materials that help ensure a successful build day.
Please reach out to Aaryanna Mercer, Volunteer Manager, at amercer@gohabitat.org or 630-757-7523 ext. 314 to schedule your individual build day.
Do you have previous construction experience or have an interest in learning? Or maybe you enjoy teaching someone a new skill? If the answers are yes, you might be a good fit for our Volunteer Crew Leader program.
Volunteer Crew Leaders help create outstanding volunteer days, lead small groups in construction tasks, and ensure that our homes are built to Habitat standards. A typical day includes:
- Preparing tools and materials and facilitating morning check-in as volunteers arrive
- Orienting volunteers to the build site and Habitat mission
- Leading small groups of volunteers throughout assigned construction duties
- Using the “tell, show, do” model to teach volunteers the construction tasks at hand
- Overseeing volunteers as they complete assigned tasks to keep our build schedule on track and homes to a high standard
- Ensuring the safety of the group by teaching and enforcing proper equipment usage
- Managing clean-up and preparing for the next volunteer day
What we look for:
- Willingness to learn and work with a diverse group of people
- Experience working as a member of a team
- Excellent verbal communication skills
- Interest in construction (prior construction experience and group facilitation a plus)
- Ability to be on your feet for extended periods of time, often on rough and uneven terrain
- Ability to lift at least 50 lbs on a regular basis
- Ability to work on ladders and heights of up to two stories
- Ability to work in varying weather conditions (we build year- round)
- At least 21 years of age
Time Commitment
- Crew Leader days run Wednesday through Saturday
- Crew Leaders are asked to volunteer at least once a month (more often is welcomed and appreciated)
- Crew Leaders are asked to commit to at least one year of service in the program
Required Training
- Online Lockton Safety Course
- Safeguarding Training
- Multiple days shadowing a current Crew Leader on the build site
- Task courses as needed
Become a Crew Leader
Get started by filling out an application here or contacting Aaryanna Mercer, Volunteer Manager, at amercer@gohabitat.org.
DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity welcomes volunteers who are required by a court to do community service. We reserve the right to deny ANY individual in need of court-related community service hours the ability to volunteer with the organization based on the nature, type and/or specifics of their offense. DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat will not be a party before the specific Court which orders the service, there is no jurisdiction over the organization and the Courts cannot order the ReStore to allow an individual to volunteer with our organization. Individuals will be judged solely by their offense(s) and not by any other means, including, but not limited to age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.
Court-Related Community Service Application Process
- DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat will not accept a volunteer for community service who is ‘being charged of’ pleading guilty to or having been found guilty of felony charges and misdemeanors certain offenses including but not limited to:
- Assault
- Battery
- Kidnapping
- Arson
- Sexual Abuse/Assault
- Any theft related charge
- Weapons
- Certain offenses will be considered on a case-by-case basis as to whether an individual will be allowed to volunteer with DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs HFH. Such offenses include but are not limited to Drug Possession, Drug Sale Offenses and Violation of Probation.
- To apply to complete your court-related community service at DPCSSHFH, please submit the following documentation via email at amercer@gohabitat.org or mail to/drop off at the main office located at 1600 E Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, IL 60187:
- Written documentation from the courts, probation officers and/or lawyer stating that you are required to complete court-related community service hours, as well as the specifics of the offense, the number of hours required, and the date they are due.
Non-construction volunteers play just as an important part of every house build. Your involvement makes a difference. Help us build Habitat so Habitat can build houses.
Committees
If you enjoy engaging the community and collaborating with others, serving as a committee volunteer may be a perfect fit for you. Our committees help us make decisions and implement activities that advance our mission. This is your opportunity to help share the future of our organization and our communities from the inside out.
Associate Board:
The DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat Associate Board is a network for passionate young professionals to raise awareness and revenue for DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat through social events, volunteer days, and fundraising efforts.
Finance:
The Finance Committee supports our annual budgeting process, audit functions, and reviews our financial policy and procedures for both DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat and our ReStores.
Family Services:
The Family Services Committee seeks applicant families by leading homeownership information sessions, interviews potential partner families, and recommends the families who need Habitat’s services the most to the Board. Once a family is selected into the program, a Family Services Committee member will be appointed as a mentor to work with the family during the construction of their home and monitor their sweat equity hours, and answer questions that may come up.
Join a Committee
If you are interested in joining a committee or learning more, email us at amercer@gohabitat.org, with:
- The name of the committee(s) you are most interested in
- Your resume
- A short explanation of your background, interests, and availability
Please note that the recruitment period varies by committee. We encourage you to express interest at any time, but keep in mind there may not be an opening on your desired committee. Once we’ve added you to the interest list, we will reach out to you at the appropriate time with next steps.
ReStore Opportunities
ReStore volunteers bring new skills and build capacity to help provide discounted building materials and home goods to the community. DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity uses funds raised by the ReStore to help families build, rehabilitate and repair homes. By giving your time and talents, you help ReStore do more to support homebuilding projects that benefit families in the area.