While registration for the May 19th Work-a-thon ends this Friday (May 4), we have plenty of room for you and your team! We still need more volutneers to help us complete all of the Work-a-thon projects. This year’s projects include painting classrooms, landscaping school entrances, and beautifying hallways with murals.

Are you a skilled woodworker or painter? Let us know when you register and we’ll find the right project for you. Unskilled? No problem! We’ll just keep you away from the circular saw.

Register for the 2012 Work-a-thon>

Check out our director, Nicholas Fechter, talking about this year’s Work-a-thon on Comcast Local Edition.

With our annual Work-a-thon — a day-long event where volunteers work to improve public schools across the District — coming up on May 19, we need your help to raise $50,000 to make it possible!

Donations from corporations, foundations, small businesses and individuals all contribute to paying for the supplies our volunteers use and provide the scholarship money local students need. As an all-volunteer organization, there are very few costs other than those of the event itself, but we need your support. Anything you can contribute helps!

There are a number of ways that you can donate to hands on DC:

• Donate directly to fund the 2012 Work-a-thon>
• Encourage your employer to become a Work-a-thon sponsor>
• See other ways to donate to Hands on DC>

We want your for the 2012 Work-a-thon!

Ready to have fun and give back? It’s time to sign up for this year’s 18th Annual Hands on DC Work-a-Thon — a day-long event where thousands of volunteers work to improve public schools across the district — which will be held on May 19. Projects will include painting classrooms, landscaping school entrances, putting up murals in hallways and many other helpful tasks. Last year 1,539 number of volunters came out to work on 24 schools. Register now and spread the word — help empower DC’s youth to strive for excellence in the classroom! Volunteering is free, and if you raise $50, you get a free T-Shirt!

Register for the 2012 Work-a-thon>

Any event is better if you bring a friend. Start a Work-a-thon team>

Get your office involved>

Help fund the 2012 Work-a-thon with a donation>

Share the event with your Facebook friends>

We’re looking for a few good people to help us lead volunteers on May 19th at our annual Work-a-thon. No previous experience necessary. Send an e-mail to volunteer@handsondc.org to volunteer or to get more information about the positions listed below.

• Site Coordinators (SC) are responsible for the projects at one school on the day of the Work-a-Thon. SCs direct the volunteers assigned to their school in completing the projects at their school. Hands on DC provides training and all the supplies needed for the school. The SC will be expected to make at least one visit to their school prior to the event to familiarize themselves with the various projects. Their major responsibilities are to manage volunteers on the day of the event and to make sure all tools and supplies are properly distributed to appropriate tasks. We anticipate this will take three to five hours of time in addition to being available on the Work-a-thon.
• Regional Coordinators (RC) are responsible for coordinating projects for volunteers during the Work-a-Thon. Each RC visits several schools to find potential painting, landscaping or other projects for the Work-a-thon and serves as a liason to the   school officials. Once Hands on DC determines which projects are feasible, the RC makes a second visit to collect detailed project information. During the week preceding the Work-a-thon, RCs help prepare for the Work-a-thon by sorting supplies for projects, helping drop off materials at schools, and generally lending a helping hand. We anticipate this will require 20 hours of time additional to the Work-a-thon.
• The Special Projects Coordinator Chair assists with the logisitcs of Work-a-thon projects that require additional planning, such as building shelves, putting together benches, painting murals and other skilled labor activities. Duties include:
• Drafting instructions for volunteers on how to complete each special project
• Reviewing all Special Projects to determine supplies needed
• Ordering Special Projects supplies (with Sites Co-Chairs)
• Managing distribution of Special Projects Supplies in Staging Area
• Recruiting volunteers with the skills needed to complete each special project.


During events, the Special Projects Coordinator is in contact with each project site to make sure everything is going as planned and may be needed drop off additional supplies as needed.  This position is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for volunteers to make a tangible difference in the learning environment in DC Public Schools, while gaining further leadership and logistics management experience.

E-mail volunteer@handsondc.org for more information or to get involved.

Registration for the 2012 Work-a-thon is now open!

Join thousands of other volunteers in a day of fun and service on May 19th for Hands on DC’s 18th annual Work-a-thon.  Help us revitalize DC’s public schools by volunteering to paint classrooms, landscape school entrances, put up murals in hallways and many other things. Sign up today!

Learn more, register, or donate>