If I started a sentence with the following; twenty fraternity brothers from Pi Kappa Phi got together for the whole summer to . . . The majority of people would assume, party hard, cause trouble or worse.
This past week, Rob Robillard, the Concord Carpenter crew, editors from Tool Box Buzz, Concord Lumber Corporation employees and Milwaukee Power Tools witnessed the exact opposite of those assumptions. We saw twenty fraternity brothers, from all over the country, come together to promote accessible recreation for people with disabilities.
Over the next six weeks these young men will travel across the country to six different summer camps working on service projects, from docks, ramp, accessible trails to a horse barn to promote accessible recreation for people with disabilities. The program is called Build America or as we refer it… “BAM.”
The Ability Experience – Build America Project
At ACC we spend a lot of time writing articles to help contractor’s become better leaders, and more professional within their trade. We also try to give back to the community when we can. So it should no surprise that we jumped on the opportunity to help The Ability Experience build leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today!
The Ability Experience is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities. It was founded in 1977 as the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity with the purpose of instilling lifelong service in its members and enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. The Ability Experience’s core values are (abilities, teamwork, empathy and integrity) while serving others.
Construction is the core
Since 2003, Build America has taken members of Pi Kappa Phi across the country to make camps and communities more accessible for people with disabilities through construction, dedication and hard work.
Build America is a six week team event starting at Camp Allen in NH and visiting many different camps and communities to improve the accessibility of areas for people with disabilities.
At the core of Build America is the construction of accessible environments and camps serving the disability community. Before arriving in Washington DC the team at the end of the summer, they will have logged over 4,000 man hours, saved camps and communities $50,000 in labor costs and over $30,000 in materials expenses, and impacted the lives of thousands of people with disabilities.
Spending Quality Time With the Kids Who Benefit From the Projects
The team members’ day does not stop when the construction stops. The best experience on this journey is in the evenings when team members gather with campers for dinner and other camp activities. This is the time team members say is most rewarding. They get to hang out with the very people who are benefiting from their construction. These are the times that create the special memories of camps and lifelong friends.
There is no experience like Build America and being able to create an emotional connection while leaving a tangible product after departing a camp or community sets this event apart from a typical college summer.
The Ability Experience mission is to build leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today. This event provides fundraising, service and awareness for the abilities of people with disabilities. The team members forfeit the opportunity for a paid summer job and instead invest in the lives of others. For college students living in a recession, this show of altruism is especially impressive.
What they will accomplish!
In six weeks, the team will build accessible decks, docks, fishing piers, nature trails, climbing walls and many other amenities providing opportunities for campers to experience everything summer camp has to offer. There is no experience like Build America and being able to leave a tangible product after departing a camp which sets this event apart from all other events.
Leadership thru Service
Currently, The Ability Experience utilizes their cycling event as their main vehicle for impact. With our background we were more interested in their smaller event called, “Build America.”
According to Rob, “In 2014 when I first looked into volunteering for Build America,” it seemed to me that BAM was the red-headed, step-child of the Ability Experience. They were under funded, under trained and were not tooled properly for the work they were facing.”
Rob contacted a friend at Milwaukee Power tool and arranged for a massive tool donation to outfit the BAM team. With the help of Phil Benevides, Pi Kappa Phi brother and carpenter, they then inspired Todd Fratzel, structural engineer, contractor and editor of Tool Box Buzz, and band of local contractors, carpenters, an architect, carpentry clients and many others to help him design, implement and host a two-day Build America training program. The program we refer to as BAM Tool Safety Training was designed to teach the BAM team to use the donated tools and deploy them safety and effectively in the field.
Rob’s training goals were simple:
- Teach tool use and safety
- Expose students to building techniques applicable to camp projects
- Build a confidence level in tool use and field application
- Instill problem solving and learn to deal with the unexpected
- Build a comfort level to enjoy their experience and make a difference in camp
Rob made it a point to all of the instructors that this was “not about us, check the egos at the door.” He went on to make sure that we all sprinkled into our lesson plans, problem solving tips and included lessons in leadership traits, such as:
- Integrity
- Respect
- Responsibility
If you ask Rob what motivated him to create such a massive endeavor, he probably tell you, that this years #BAM2015 quote sums it all up: “If it’s worth doing . . . Do It Well!”
Explain, Demo, Do!
These young men came here to historical Concord Mass, to learn about tool safety and received basic construction techniques. The Concord Carpenter and Tool Box Buzz crew started the program by teaching these men the basic safety principles of tool safety, such as:
- The laser rule
- Finger off the trigger rule
- Tool function and operation
- Proper lifting techniques
- Situational awareness
- Basic job site safety
These men were taught how to respect the tools and build their confidence on how to safely operate them through repetition. The instructors led the BAM team through exercises using many instructional aids and teaching methods, but mostly focused on the “Explain, Demo, Do” method of instruction.
An instructor explains and demos a technique and then allows the student to do it, allowing them to learn thru guided and coached repetitions. By the end of the 2 day training, the BAM team showed great improvement in their skills, confidence and were well on their way to becoming effective.
Lessons Based On Projects
Every lesson taught was based on a project these men will encounter. Rob was big on realistic training so he obtained and studied all of the camp projects and then devised a 65 page lesson plan to dovetail tool techniques and building concepts toward the camp projects. According to Rob, “Nothing was left to chance, each lesson, every mock up display and every technique, was all part of our master plan, to keep these guys safe, help them succeed and prepare them for their camp projects!”
The instructors utilized a combination of classroom discussion, visual demos, handouts and a lot of hands on training. In total these young men received over 22 hours of realistic training over the course of 2 days. It was a lot to digest, even for someone with some carpentry experience.
Hand Tools, Power Tools and Logistics
The Students were instructed on proper hand tool use, how to read a tape measure, trail clearing, ladder safety, post hold digging, deck and wall building, repetitive cutting, plan reading, logistics and the basic principles of roofing, to name a few. All of these topics will come in handy as their cross county journey takes them to new and challenging building projects. Day two ended with the team building two scaled down versions of projects that they will encounter.
What Lays Ahead for the BAM Team?
Over the course of the summer, these men will be building several different types of structures to better assist people with disabilities. These structures include but re not limited to:
- Re-roofing a massive 40 square building
- Building a floating dock and ramp
- Repairing an accessible waterfront wooden trail
- Building a 48 foot wide horse run building
- Constructing and installing a playground
- Installing walkways, trails and decks
- Installing split rail fencing
- Repairing cabins and camp buildings
The Concord Carpenter Team – “Behind the Scenes”
The past few days would never have been possible without countless hours that Rob Robillard, Phil Benevides, Todd Fratzel, Archie Trainor, Rick Raymond, Josh Bordenca, Pat Driest, who make up the dedicated carpenters and contractors from Concord Carpenter and Tool Box Buzz. These guys gave up two days away from their families and their own companies to instill the knowledge of safe and smart building practices to the Build America Team.
Kharli Tyler who is the Marketing Manager for Milwaukee Tool flew out with her family to spend Friday with us and bring Milwaukee Power Tools message of support and encouragement. Milwaukee Tools was last year and this year’s tool sponsor, and donated thousands of dollars’ worth of power tools, hand tools and accessories. Without Milwaukee support this team would not have enough tools to be truly effective in camp.
I know I can speak for the instructors as well as the students when I say THANK YOU! Archie and Rick from Concord Lumber who donated all the lumber we used during our two day training program.
Janet and Churchill Franklin, who so graciously allowed all of this to happen on their property in Concord. We were able to use their amazing barn, front yard, driveway and backyard to help facilitate these activities. Janet and Churchill Franklin are customers of Rob and have allowed us to use their property for the second consecutive year.
Thank you guys so much for your hospitality. There are many other folks behind the scenes like Architect Rob Beede and Kevin Magliozzi from Photo Depot, both of whom donated time and expertise to supply architectural drawings and photos as training aids.
Build America 2015 Tool Safety and Construction Training
So Build America 2015 Tool Safety and Construction Training is in the history books. The unique strength and character of these young men is inspiring. I am honored to have been a part of this project with some amazing friends that I get to work with on a regular basis and meet twenty new friends that I will continue to follow along their journey. There are definitely some future leaders in the making here!
Throughout the barn there were signs that had inspirational speeches, popular sayings and of course safety messages. There was one that quote that caught my attention on Friday morning, and it didn’t really sink in until the end of day two. “
If you want happiness for an hour—take a nap. If you want happiness for a day—go fishing. If you want happiness for a month—get married. If you want happiness for a year—inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime—help others. “ -Chinese Proverb
It’s going to be a fun, exciting trek and a worthwhile cause – get involved! ~ SCOTT
