Home team helps home build

Bombers fans can sign up to wield hammers alongside football stars

By: Massimo De Luca-Taronno

Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans can trade in foam fingers and cowbells for a hammer to help build a home for a family in need this fall.

Habitat for Humanity Manitoba and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will team up Oct. 1 and 2 to host the first Bombers House Build, where volunteers will help build a house for a low-income family alongside players from the football club.

“It’s another opportunity for people to help and engage in the community,” said Christa Mariash, spokesperson for Habitat. “You work on a football team to win the game and you work on a team to build a house. We just thought it was a perfect fit.”

Photo above: Holly Jefferson (left) and members of the Bombers Women’s Club work on a Habitat for Humanity house in Transcona last week.

Each day, 50 people can sign up to help build one of 55 homes that will house 275 Manitobans, including 175 children, on the Pandora Avenue West property in Transcona.

Sign-ups can be made via the Habitat website until Sept. 12. Mariash said 25 per cent of the spots have been filled.

She said anyone is encouraged to join, including fervent Bomber fans, business operators and families. Prices start at $549 for individuals, $2,199 for four-person teams, and $5,499 for a team of 10. The organization’s goal is to raise $100,000.

Mariash said participants will be trained at the site and receive plenty of perks, including a co-branded limited edition Bombers and Habitat T-shirt, a framed team photo and an invitation to watch the family officially receive their home at the key ceremony.

“You kind of see the process full circle by seeing the fruits of your labour. It’s pretty exciting,” Mariash said.

Those who register will also receive a VIP invite to Hearts & Hammers, Habitat’s donor appreciation night at the Pinnacle Club in Princess Auto Stadium.

The Bombers House Build is one of many ways Winnipeg’s CFL team continues to support the community.

Along with the club’s focus on growing amateur football across Manitoba and ensuring children have the opportunity to play both tackle and flag football, the Bombers have also worked with the Dream Factory and Children’s Hospital to bring joy and laughter to those facing life-altering sicknesses.

Volunteer opportunities

The following is a list of volunteer opportunities for Winnipeg and surrounding areas. For more information about these listings, contact the organization directly. Volunteer Manitoba does not place volunteers with organizations but can help people find opportunities. To learn more about its programs and services, go to www.volunteermanitoba.ca or call 204-477-5180.

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Wade Miller, president and chief executive officer of the Bombers, said the partnership with Habitat is another opportunity for the athletes to show their leadership off the field.

“Our players give back in our community like no other professional sports organization or players in different leagues and are really committed to giving back,” Miller said. “That’s what makes CFL players and Blue Bomber players special.”

Last week, members of the Bombers Women’s Club — a free fan group that connects women through exclusive events and community engagement — along with Holly Jefferson, wife of star defensive lineman Willie Jefferson, joined Habitat on the Pandora build site to lend a hand.

For several hours, the women rolled up their sleeves, picked up hammers and got to work framing walls and nailing down lumber alongside Habitat’s construction crew.

Miller said the names of the players who will participate in the October build will be announced closer to the date.

“All of our players would love to be a part of that and set the example that they always have,” he said.