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Do yourself some good — and have fun — while doing good for Erie. The 2013 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Erie will take place Saturday, June 8, at Presque Isle State Park. This year’s Walk benefits 25 local health and human service organizations, including the Erie County Diabetes Association, YMCA of Greater Erie, Therapy Dogs United and the Mental Health Association of NW Pennsylvania, among others. Walk participants can choose which organization they want their donations to go to. For the complete list of participating organizations, or to register for the walk, go to www.HighmarkHealthyWalk.org.

On-site registration and check-in will begin at 7:45 a.m. on June 8, and the walk, which is 5K (3.1 miles), will start at 9 a.m. There’s also a 1-mile fun walk, which starts at 9:15 a.m. The walk will be held rain or shine. Strollers and wheelchairs are permitted.

After the walk, participants can enjoy food, beverages, music, activities and prize drawings. For every $50 a walker donates or raises in support of a participating organization, they will receive one raffle ticket. Prizes worth a total of more than $1,000 will be raffled off.

Walkers who donate or raise $25 or more will receive a Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community T-shirt (while supplies last).

Parking is available at Beach 1, but get there early because it fills up fast.

The Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity has entered the digital world.

You can now visit www.habitatchaut.org for information about the chapter and how you can get involved.

Under the volunteer tab, you can download a form to sign up for the several opportunities at Habitat for Humanity. These include: construction work, public relations, family relations or even baking cookies for workers.

“When we were putting this together, we deliberately made it as easy as possible; we wanted it to be simple to navigate for the 40 percent of Chautauqua County users who do not have access to high speed Internet,” said Marilyn Kurzawa, secretary for the county’s Habitat board of directors, in a news release.

Log on today to start volunteering.

Greater Erie Habitat for Humanity needs fund development committee members.

The fund development committee does as follows:

Development committee is tasked with supporting all aspects of fundraising from annual fund to developing major gifts, endowments, special events and planned giving programs.

Not interested in fund development? These Habitat for Humanity committees are actively recruiting members.

-Church Relations

-Construction

-Family Partnership

-Governance

-Grants

-Site Selection

To join a committee, fill out this form. Learn more about volunteering with Habitat for Humanity at www.habitaterie.org/get-involved.

The house that joy built. The house that peace built. The house that you built.

It has an emotional ring to it.

The Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity is building two homes, side by side, this June.

The homes will complete Habitat for Humanity’s efforts at East 23rd and Elm streets. The organization has built three homes in that neighborhood  in the past three years during its accelerated June building project.

It is the first time the project will attempt to build two homes during its three weeks.

Habitat for Humanity is currently recruiting volunteers for the project.

Building runs from June 4 to 23 on Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Volunteers are required to commit to an entire day of work.

No experience is required. Tools are provided. Habitat for Humanity only asks that participants bring a sandwich to the work site.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old; minors need parental permission. Shifts must be planned in advance by calling 454-7025.

“We tell them they need to come with a servant’s heart,” said Nancy Milkowski, executive director of Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity.

Depending on the day, volunteers could be constructing walls, painting or building a porch. Supervisors at the work sites assign tasks.

Milkowski said they are doubling the number of shifts and volunteers to complete the project.

Normally, it takes nine months for Habitat for Humanity to build one house, said Milkowski. The organization constructs three to four houses a year.

The project is daunting, but when it is finished, it will provide two deserving families the opportunity for home ownership.

The receivers of Habitat for Humanity homes are predetermined by a family selection committee, said Milkowski. Families must fulfill three criteria: they must be able to afford a mortgage with an interest rate of 0 percent, they must complete 300 “sweat” hours of work for the organization and they must have a housing need.

“Our mission continues due to the poverty housing in the city,” said Milkowski.

At the end of June, Habitat for Humanity will leave behind the House that Love Built, the House that Faith Built, the House that Hope Built, the House that Joy Built and the House that Peace Built. The names of this year’s houses were decided by past volunteers.

“We’re going to ultimately leave the neighborhood with peace,” said Milkowski.  “It couldn’t have been better designed.”

Pound nails, paint walls, plan special events and give a deserving family the gift of a new home.

Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers have provided home ownership opportunities to 50 Erie area families in the past 20 years.

Currently, they are working on two local houses.

No experience is needed, and Habitat for Humanity provides tools and equipment.

To volunteer, fill out these individual or group waivers, review the work site regulations and submit the form at the Habitat for Humanity office located at 413 E. 9th St. in Erie. Once your waiver has been approved, you will be contacted to schedule a shift at a work site. Habitat for Humanity reminds volunteers that all shifts must be scheduled in advance.

Construction volunteers must be at least 16 years old.

For those who want to give different talents to Habitat for Humanity, the organization is also looking for committee members.

The committees currently seeking new members are:

-Church Relations

-Construction

-Family Partnership

-Fund Development

-Governance

-Grants

-Site Selection

Habitat for Humanity is  looking for volunteers for its youth programs, Girls Build and Build a Better World.

Volunteers can also get involved by planning special events and performing office duties.

For more information, contact the Volunteer Coordinator by telephone at 454-7025 or by e-mail.

Image and video courtesy of Habitat for Humanity

I’m trying something new with Volunteer Erie. Each Monday, I will post a round-up of volunteer opportunities in Erie and Crawford counties. As always, if you have any suggestions, please email me at catherine.cloutier@timesnews.com.

1. Give blood

The Community Blood Bank in Erie is still at a dangerously low local blood supply.

Dan Desrochers, the director of Marketing at the blood bank, attributes the low blood supply to heavier use and a lighter stream of donors. He reported on Thursday that the blood bank has been forced to buy blood from other blood banks to help ease the shortage.

“Looks like we will really be struggling,” said Desrochers. “And with this being a nationwide shortage we are on our own.”

If you are over 17 (or 16 with parental consent) and at least 110 pounds, you can donate blood.

Visit the Community Blood Bank at 2646 Peach St. The blood bank is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Every pint counts!

2. Build a home

Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers.

Spend a few hours this week hammering or sawing and help a local family fulfill dreams of home-ownership.

No experience is required. Habitat for Humanity will provide tools.

Shifts are available on Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Volunteering must be scheduled in advance. To sign up, click here.

3. Help your furry friends

The Broken Arrow Animal Sanctuary in Erie needs help taking care of their animals.

Tasks include feeding and grooming the animals, cleaning cages and facilities and trying to promote animal adoption.

If you don’t have time to volunteer, Broken Arrow Animal Sanctuary accepts donations.

Broken Arrow is a no-kill shelter. For more information about the shelter and how to get involved, visit their website.

CORRECTION: Broken Arrow Animal Sanctuary has closed. All the cats that were at the shelter are now at Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary at 5439 West Lake Rd.  Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary needs volunteers to do a variety of jobs. For more information, contact Eileen at (814) 504-3246.