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Our Milwaukee Community Project initiative has received a number of excellent submissions from both Secondary and Post-Secondary teams of students, who are working on some amazing community enhancement projects, from bird shelters, to building YMCA camp cabins, Habitat for Humanity partnerships, and beyond!
To give you a sense of the tremendous work these students across Ontario are undertaking, some of the projects are featured below. The winners – one Secondary and one Post-Secondary team – will win a Milwaukee Tool prize pack worth $4000, and will be announced during the first week of April.
We want to congratulate all the applicants for their dedication to making their communities a better, more inclusive place for all!
Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School, London
Barn Swallow Kiosk Project
The construction classes at Sir Wilfrid Laurier high school have already built six barn swallow kiosks for the Ministry of Transportation, to protect this endangered bird. The kiosks are being put up to replace the habitats that are lost from cutting down trees to build roads. They plan on continuing this partnership with the MTO and to build more barn swallow kiosks until the end of the school year.
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, Cambridge
The Working Centre Renovation
The Home Build program at St. Benedict High School has partnered with The Working Centre in Kitchener for this semester. The Working Centre was established in 1982 in response to unemployment and poverty in downtown Kitchener. The Working Centre has purchased an old building in the downtown and is currently in the process of renovating this 75,000 sq’ structure to service the impoverished in the community. This building will serve the unemployed and those living in poverty. The students are involved with the framing, forming and cement work, insulation, installation of drywall, madding, taping, and sanding, as well as painting and laying the floor.
F.E. Madill Secondary School, Wingham
Horse Shelter Project
The students at F. E. Madill Secondary School have worked together to identify an essential community project in their community: to build a horse shelter in the local hospital parking lot where the Mennonites currently hitch their horses to a post. They decided as a class that this will help the local Mennonites keep their horses sheltered from the elements in all seasons as well as keep them hydrated. In addition to protecting the horses, it will welcome more Mennonites into our community and encourage use of the hospital. Their goal is to be able to provide a long lasting horse shelter that benefits the community for years to come.
LaSalle Secondary School, Sudbury
YMCA John Island Rejuvenation Project
This project is a unique program in its 11th year that involves the demolition of old and construction of new sleep cabins and accessory buildings for the YMCA John Island camp. Also, the renovation and repairing to current infrastructure to maintain the longevity of the camp site. The students will be out on the construction site from May 19 to June 3, 2016.
Algonquin College, Ottawa
Garden Shed and Ski Hut Projects
The Building Construction Technician students at Algonquin College are helping out with the community by building a garden shed for the local Tanglewood Community Centre. They also have another similar project, building a Ski Race Hut for Edelweiss Ski Resort. It a great opportunity for the students to work on projects that will help improve the community in the process of learning their trade.
Fanshawe College, London
Habitat for Humanity Partnership
The Fanshawe College Carpenter Apprenticeship program has been taking part in Habitat for Humanity builds for several years now. The level 2 students are required to frame floors, walls and roofs as part of the hands on practical learning. Typically, the students are on site for two days a week and complete the framing in just 4 weeks. This project and partnership with Habitat for Humanity helps our community and the students by giving them a real life build.
Mohawk College, Hamilton
Habitat for Humanity Burton Street Build
Since 2010, the Mohawk College- Building Renovation Technician program has annually planned a community project. For 2016, they have partnered with Habitat for Humanity Hamilton, working on their Burton Street Build. This project of three townhouses gave the second year students the opportunity to put their interior finishing skills to the test. The students, headed up by a team of four student leaders took on hanging drywall, taping and mudding, and building permanent stairs for the houses.
