HYANNIS – Housing Assistance Corporation’s 10th Big-Fix-A-Thon returns to Barnstable this fall and a special kickoff for the event will be held Tuesday evening.
The Big Fix brings hundreds of volunteers to the homes of seniors, veterans and the disabled in one Cape Cod town to make small home improvements and clean up yards.
HAC’s Chief Development Officer Ann Van Vleck said the new kickoff program will bring attention to the event before the busy summer season.
“We really want to invite people to come and learn more,” said Van Vleck. “We are encouraging businesses and anyone who is interested in getting involved what it is like and get more information.”
The kickoff event is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Shepley Showcase on Benjamin Franklin Way in Hyannis.
HAC is limiting the number of volunteers for this year’s Big-Fix-A-Thon on October 5.
“It is an opportunity for early signups as well,” Van Vleck said. “We really want to make sure it’s a good experience for people and often times volunteers are just standing around and it is not a good experience for them.”
Volunteers also raise funds to support HAC’s year-round programs, including operating four family shelters, homeless outreach, homelessness prevention, energy assistance, conducting financial literacy workshops, and housing development.
Barnstable hosted the first Big Fix event in 2010 and since then, it has been held in Sandwich, Dennis, Mashpee, Yarmouth, Bourne, Brewster, Falmouth and Harwich. The 10th anniversary event returns to Barnstable in the villages of Centerville and Hyannis.
“The goal is to help seniors, veterans and disabled neighbors and friends in those towns stay in their homes by doing small repairs, yard work, cleanups, things that are too daunting for a lot of these people,” Van Vleck said.
Van Vleck said the Big Fix is an impactful event for volunteers.
“But when homeowners come out and meet the volunteers at their homes it is really hard to describe what the experience is like for them, and it is really life changing,” she said.
Applications are also available for homeowners who are in need of assistance during the Big Fix. They can be found at haconcapecod.org, and hard copies can be found at town libraries, the senior center, veteran centers and Town Hall.
“I encourage anyone who may know someone who could use some assistance to help them to get their application complete,” Van Vleck said.
Applications are due by mid-June.
Volunteers can also signup at haconcapecod.org.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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