COVER Updates

Floor Repair in Springfield

2010-04-02T08:57:00.001-04:00

We had a great work weekend in Springfield at a home COVER has served before. After helping with some roof repair last spring, we returned to address the serious rot in the homeowners kitchen floor. Friday we were joined by a wonderful crew from Hypertherm. We tore out old cabinets and counter, pulled up all the rotten flooring and left most of the putting back together for Saturday's crew. COVER staff was at a meeting Saturday so a COVER work leader led a small crew in replacing all the rotten floor joists and was able to get all the new plywood down by the end of the day Saturday! We return to Springfield this weekend to get new cabinets, counters, and her kitchen sink back in working order.

Hanover High joins COVER for March Intensive

2010-03-24T09:33:00.006-04:00

Last week 16 Hanover High students joined COVER staff in building wheel chair ramps in Hartland and Claremont. Both homeowners were elderly and greatly appreciative of their new access to their homes. The team in Hartland was able to use all recycled decking from the ReCOVER store. They also had the pleasure of pulling Executive Director Rob Shultz out of the office for the week to run a work site! The Claremont gang built their ramp under the homeowners carport to minimize winter shoveling and were able to build a large platform at the turn for a little sitting area. Both teams put in 4 hard days of work and were able to complete ramps with time to spare for yard work!

Assembling ramp sections

Finishing hand rail

Merna giving out hugs at the end of the week

The Claremont Crew

Recycled decking in Hartland

Ramp in progress

Final ramp and stairs

Hartland Crew

Weatherization Home Stretch

2010-02-18T10:23:00.004-05:00

98 Homes and Counting!!!

As we begin to wrap up COVER's weatherization season I am above all overwhelmed by the incredible volunteer support through these cold winter months. Over 100 volunteers have entered Upper Valley homes with COVER to help seal out the cold drafts chilling homes. Volunteers have worked 725 hours to date from the depths of Grafton to the stretches of Tunbridge.

A definite highlight of the season was just a few weeks ago as one of our Rock Star volunteers celebrated her birthday with COVER and friends weatherizing a home in White River Junction. After a training and a warm lunch the 12 of us hit the ground running, equipped with plastic, door gaskets, caulk guns and silly hats to get to work on home close by! Here are some highlight shots!

MLK Service Day

2010-01-19T15:29:00.003-05:00

Over 20 COVER volunteers joined forces on MLK day to weatherize low income units owned by our neighbor Twin Pines. After a long day of sealing up windows and doors we were able to weatherize 10 units! Good work and good fun had by all!

Weatherization in Action

2010-01-12T11:30:00.002-05:00

Stellar Weatherization volunteers continue to get things done in the field! 64 Homes served and counting...

Weatherization Back in Swing

2010-01-05T11:19:00.003-05:00

After a few weeks laying low through the Holidays the Weatherization Program is gearing back up for a big month in January. We were able to complete a number of projects in late December bringing the current total up to 57 homes served.

Some December Highlights...

After a few weeks laying low through the Holidays the Weatherization Program is gearing back up for a big month in January. We were able to complete a number of projects in late December bringing the current total up to 57 homes served.

Some December Highlights...

2009-10-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

Weatherization Kick Off with 350.org

2009-10-29T15:56:00.002-04:00

Weatherization Land is up and running with the same goals of last year including weatherizing 100 low income, elderly and disabled households in 100 days!

Friends from the Quaker Meeting House of Hanover joined together on Saturday October 24th to weatherize homes on International Climate Change Awareness day. For more info on other projects that took place around the world go to www.350.org.

We had a great start to the season with 9 households weatherized, and many more to come in the next few weeks.

More to come soon, contact Molly at COVER if you want more info on receiving services, volunteering, or donating to the Weatherization Program.

A busy weekend!

2009-08-21T09:53:00.005-04:00

COVER spent this last weekend on two different jobsites. Saturday was spent building a small structure to protect an oil tank from the snow that has knocked it over in the past. The homeowners family as well as a few stellar Dartmouth College staff helped in the hot weather. On Sunday we got a jump start on a wheel chair ramp that the Youth Corps team finished up in the remainder of the week. We were joined by the always eager Aquinas House from Dartmouth, as well as one of the home owners in the morning.

Oil Tank Enclosure:

A Ramp in Progress:

Aquinas House Crew on Sunday:

Youth Corps

2009-08-14T14:17:00.005-04:00

COVER is well on its way through the first program year of our Youth Corps program. With a grant from the Department of Labor COVER has employed at risk youth from the area and is providing job training on COVER sites. The crews are working on two different sites, an addition on a small home, as well as a new porch. COVER work leaders are running the job sites and having a great time doing it. Structures are going up, roofs are on, and resumes are in the work, good things all around...

Day One:

Foam in the Floor:

Framing up:

Shingles, Shingles, Shingles:

One more week to go!

Sunny Weekend Roofing

2009-07-24T10:34:00.003-04:00

We had a really successful weekend of roofing, and believe it or not managed to dodge the rain as well. Volunteers came out from the North Pomfret Church on Saturday. They brought experienced carpenters, high spirits, and tasty cookies as well... Talk about serious COVER volunteers. We were able to wrap up the work Sunday with help from a crew of several return volunteers. Highlights of the day included great burgers off the grill, homemade salads, and more cookies!

Finishing up the Ramp

2009-07-15T15:45:00.005-04:00

We were luck with beautiful weather again finishing up this ramp. With great volunteer turn out we were able to get a huge amount done in the short amount of time we were there. Saturday consisted of putting down a lot of decking, posts, leaving just a little handrail and a set of stairs to finish up on Sunday. Stellar volunteers showed up from several communities including friends and family of the homeowner, Legion Rider's, and many other individuals. All the decking put down came from recycled lumber from COVER, as well as most of the posts. We shared beautiful weather, great lunches, and good work through the weekend, many thanks to all that contributed!

Final decking down:

Handrail going up:

Legion Riders Volunteer hard at work:

First trip up the ramp!

Decking going down:

Group shot:

Big Ramp in Plainfield

2009-07-08T11:39:00.005-04:00

We made a huge amount of headway Sunday on a big wheelchair ramp out in the Plainfield area. One of the home owners is currently in a wheelchair and better access to the house is much needed, right now they use a temporary ramp out back. It was a really big crew, several neighbors were there to help out, as well as co-workers of the home owner.

Group shot:

Stew having a hard time leaving lunch...

Skirting with Towandans

2009-07-01T14:12:00.005-04:00

We had big volunteer crews last weekend helping on a skirting project out in Windsor. The homeowner was born and raised on the property we were working on. Saturday we were joined by a outdoor women's group with a ton of enthusiasm and experience. Sundays group was a family celebrating Father's Day with a day of service!

Father's Day Crew:

Up goes the skirting!:

Birthday Girl:

Stellar Lunches:

Neighbors in Canaan

2009-06-17T09:16:00.005-04:00

We spent a wonderful weekend out in Canaan and finished up a world of floor repair and a few other fun adventures. Work included replacing some rotted out floors, lots of work around a door that has some water damage, a new set of stairs, and even some roof coating! We worked at two homes, just across the street from each other, and were able to get a huge amount of work done in two days! More pictures to come soon...

Saturday's UV Potluckers:

Sunday's crew on the new set of stairs:

New Floors!

Flooring Adventures with Arthur and Linda

2009-06-12T11:09:00.005-04:00

Last weekend was spent with Arthur and Linda at there small home in Plainfield, NH. They have spent the last 5 years living in their home which was build by Habitat for Humanity. Linda has bad asthma and the carpets in there small home have made it difficult for her to breathe. COVER spent two weekends in March and again in June pulling all the carpets and laying new flooring. Laughter and country music could be heard through out the whole adventure, even a little dancing on the new floors with all the furniture sitting outside in the borrowed ReCOVER Store box truck!