SBP
02 Jan, 2026
Celebrating Youth Volunteers: National Volunteer Week 2025
SBP believes that young people who step up to help transform their communities are heroes. They serve communities recovering from disasters, bringing not only tools and hands-on support, but also optimism, compassion, and grit. Every nail hammered, wall painted, and floor installed by our service volunteers is an act of generosity that helps bring families closer to home.
“National Volunteer Week gives us the chance to shine a light on the everyday heroes who power SBP’s mission,” says SBP Director of Service, Mike Sullivan. “Whether they’re students, friend groups, or corporate teams, each volunteer’s service strengthens the community and leaves a mark that lasts long after the paint dries.”
In recognition of National Volunteer Week 2025, we want to recognize some of the incredible organizations that provide youth volunteer opportunities to support SBP’s efforts to rebuild homes for families affected by disasters.
Mobilizing Young Changemakers
Service and Learning Together (SaLT)
SaLT is all about turning learning into action, and its partnership with SBP has been exactly that. The nonprofit provides meaningful service-learning opportunities to students so they can make a difference while gaining a deeper understanding of community needs. Since 2021, SaLT volunteers have served with us in Puerto Rico and Southeast Louisiana, helping homeowners rebuild after disasters. In March, they returned to work on a home restoration project for Lonnie Jackson Jr. in Harvey, Louisiana. The students were thrilled to meet Lonnie in person during their visit, a moment that brought meaning and connection to their day of service.
“Working with SBP in New Orleans was an exceptional experience for our high school group,” said Ida Fiore, SaLT’s Co-Founder and President. “Their professionalism, commitment to safety, and ability to make the work meaningful and fun stood out. The team went above and beyond to accommodate our group’s needs with patience and care. We love partnering with SBP and can’t wait to return!”
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan students dedicated their spring break to hands-on recovery efforts in Louisiana and South Carolina, supporting families still rebuilding after devastating hurricanes. Their connection to SBP runs deep. The university has partnered with SBP since 2016 to volunteer at our sites throughout New Orleans and Houston. In March of this year, 11 students volunteered at a client’s home, that was damaged during Hurricane Ida. They cleared debris and cleaned dust from the restoration project, prepped the floors for new carpeting, and helped repaint some walls.
One of the students told SBP during the trip, “It was a very good environment where I always felt like I had work to do, and it was easy to understand why we were doing what we were doing.”
Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) AmeriCorps
This year marked the first time we welcomed LISC AmeriCorps to an SBP build site. On April 2, ten volunteers joined us to paint at the home of Lonnie Jackson Jr. in Harvey, Louisiana. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a nonprofit that works with local partners to bring resources into under-resourced communities, helping people access housing, jobs, education, and other opportunities. LISC AmeriCorps is a national service program supporting critical local projects with community development groups in the places where LISC works, from urban centers to rural communities.
FI Service Corps
FI Service Corps, a new volunteer organization launched in 2024 by members of the Financial Independence (FI) community, chose SBP for its first service trip. Formed by individuals who believe in purposeful living and giving back, FI Service Corps partners with nonprofits that rely on volunteers. During their time with SBP, the group rolled up their sleeves to support SBP’s Opportunity Housing building project in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.
Cultivating Young Leaders Through Service
Ursuline Academy
Ursuline Academy has been part of SBP’s volunteer family for nearly a decade, and its legacy of service runs deep. Originally led by Sister Regina Marie and now carried on by alumna Jan Signorelli and her husband John (always wearing his beloved pink Nuns Build shirt), the Ursuline community brings faith, service, and spirit to every build. This April, alumni worked alongside SBP’s CEO, Carol Markowitz, and Sister Regina Marie to tackle drywall, painting, and weatherproofing. Each year on Jan. 25, in celebration of International Serviam Day, Ursuline students join SBP at our sites to serve in whatever capacity they are needed.
University of Scranton
For nearly a decade, students from the University of Scranton have chosen to spend part of their winter break as SBP service volunteers. This January marked the University’s ninth year of partnership, with 13 students traveling from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to lend a hand in rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. With majors ranging from cybersecurity and neuroscience to English and education, this group came together to support home rebuilding efforts by helping at our warehouse—framing windows, cutting wood, and even making chairs.
The McMain Letter Carriers
This year, the McMain Letter Carriers—a student group from Eleanor McMain Secondary School in New Orleans—took their service learning to the next level by joining SBP for the first time. Though SBP has partnered with McMain in the past, this was the first time the Letter Carriers put on gloves and got to work at a build site. As part of the InspireNOLA charter school network, Eleanor McMain Secondary School empowers New Orleans youth through education, helping them become agents of positive change in their communities.
Metairie Park Country Day
Led by civics and history teacher Dr. Lori Bush, students from Metairie Park Country Day in New Orleans have brought their hearts and hands to SBP’s work. Since 2024, Dr. Bush, her husband, and her students have volunteered at our Opportunity Housing build site on Forstall Street in New Orleans. They have also gone the extra mile by supporting our preparedness initiatives—donating emergency supplies and assembling more than 60 disaster preparedness kits for distribution across the community.
Tulane University
Students at Tulane University are regular volunteers at SBP home rebuilding sites in New Orleans. They have painted, installed hurricane straps, and completed finishing touches on one of our Opportunity Housing developments—helping us provide safe, resilient homes for people affected by disasters in New Orleans. SBP joined them in the classroom during an Intro to Public Health Class to share preparedness tips so they can be ready for the next disaster.
One student wrote after the project: “It was a very good experience, I felt like I made a difference.”
Each hour these young volunteers have contributed—smoothing drywall, cutting wood, painting walls, or simply showing up with open hearts—has brought a family one step closer to home.
If these stories have inspired you, please visit sbpusa.org/volunteer to learn how to get involved and help families rebuild, recover, and return home.