FAQs
Volunteer FAQ
What is Paint the Town?
Paint the Town is a one-day event that gathers hundreds of volunteers to paint up to 40 houses in a Greater Cincinnati neighborhood. Since the first Paint the Town in 2000, the group has painted more than 100 houses in neighborhoods all over Greater Cincinnati.
Who’s behind Paint the Town?
Paint the Town is a project of Give Back Cincinnati, a young professional’s volunteer group that focuses on one-day, large-scale events that have a major impact on the community. The all-volunteer Paint the Town steering committee works with dozens of sponsors and community groups to plan the event.
How are neighborhoods selected?
There are a tremendous amount of fantastic Cincinnati-area communities, we look to work with those that have active neighborhood councils that support the project by helping to distribute applications, engage the community, and help with other permitting, etc.
How are the houses chosen?
Residents could complete applications to have their houses painted starting in December. Applications, which asked questions to assess need, income level, and scope of work required, were distributed through community businesses and neighborhood organizations, as well as churches and schools. Committee members interviewed applicants and selected homeowners based on need, feasibility, and the impact our volunteers’ efforts would have.
Is it OK if I volunteer with my child?
Unfortunately, no. We’ll be working with ladders, scrapers and other equipment at Paint the Town. To ensure safe worksites for all our volunteers, we cannot permit those under age 18 to volunteer with us.
Can I volunteer for half the day?
Due to the nature of the event, we're not able to accomodate half-day volunteers. Please plan to spend the entire day with us. Volunteers must attend morning registration (you'll get directions the week before the event) to get their house assignment, sign a waiver and hear announcements. Buses transport teams’ volunteers to their assigned houses. Lunch is on-site. Because of the number of volunteers helping out, we’re not able to transport individual volunteers throughout the day.
Can I drive myself to my team’s house?
Nope. For many reasons, volunteers are not allowed to drive themselves to their team’s house. First, parking is tight in many of the neighborhoods. Your team lead and other event organizers will need to park at the house, and we want to leave the neighbors some parking spots, as well.
Second, we will be using many tall ladders, and they don't mix well with cars. The more room we have to maneuver ladders, the better, and we can avoid accidentally installing a moon roof in your vehicle. Third, who doesn’t want to ride a big yellow school bus? If you're first on, you can sit in the back with the cool kids or even be a back-seat safety ... oh, the power.
Should I volunteer if I don’t want to climb a ladder?
Yes! There’s plenty of “low” work to do at Paint the Town. When you register on our Web site, just indicate the ladder height you’re comfortable with. At registration, we may steer you toward a house without lots of high ladder work.
What if I don’t have a “team” to paint on?
No problem! Each house has a local corporate or organizational sponsor, and some sponsors have provided employees or members to paint the house. If you’re a “general” volunteer for Paint the Town, you might work alongside corporate team members, you might work on a house whose sponsor hasn’t provided a team, or you might work on a house Give Back Cincinnati sponsored.
Can I sign up to work with my friend?
Yes. If you’re registering with a corporate team, make sure you all select that team when you register. If you’re not registering with a team, you’ll be able to sign up for the same house on the morning of the event. Please note, this house sign-up is first come, first serve, so you won’t be able to roll-in with a crew of your closest 20 friends and all be on the same house…but we can accommodate small groups and meeting new people is part of the fun of the day.
What should I wear and bring with me to volunteer?
Wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on, including shoes that cover your whole foot (such as sneakers, not flip-flops). Wear a hat to shade your face from the sun and keep paint off your hair. Definitely bring sunscreen (you can put it in a backpack to set on the porch or lawn). You’ll want a little money and your driver’s license in your pocket for the after party, but lock the rest of your valuables in your car.
Where should I park?
Volunteers will park in a central location that will be communicated by e-mail the week before the event, then assemble nearby for house sign-ups and announcements. We’ll e-mail you the meeting location, times, driving directions and all those details several days before the event.
What about breakfast and lunch?
Breakfast (with coffee) will be available during registration. Lunch will be delivered to you at your house, and houses also will have snacks, water and soda. The pre-event volunteer details will tell you what lunch is so you can plan to bring you own snacks or lunch for any special dietary needs you have.
How can I get more involved in Paint the Town?
So glad you asked! It takes a lot of people to make Paint the Town happen. Steering committee members meet once a month starting in October and more frequently from February through June. They also interview Paint the Town applicants. Many steering committee members also have subcommittees to take on some of the planning. Paint the Town team leads work with the homeowners to plan for the big day, then provide on-site leadership on the day of Paint the Town. If you are interested, e-mail us at paintthetown@givebackcincinnati.org
What if my schedule changes and I’m no longer available on the day of Paint the Town?
If you find you can no longer be part of Paint the Town, please e-mail pttvolunteer@givebackcincinnati.org as soon as possible.
Thursday, April 30, 2009, Administrator