Hands on St. Clair County

Hands On Birmingham, Inc. is an Alabama not-for-profit corporation  committed to providing flexible, hands-on volunteer opportunities for individuals whose work and life challenges prohibit their active involvement in traditional volunteer programs. HOB is a tax-exempt organization founded in August 1998 by a group of young professionals who believe that the keys to strengthening the Birmingham community are:

·         Serving others

·         Meeting the needs of the less fortunate

·         Creating a large, diverse force of volunteers

·         Developing citizen leaders to assume a more prominent role in the volunteer community 

·         Solving existing problems rather than merely complaining about them

Hands On Birmingham has a three-prong strategy for encouraging volunteerism in Birmingham: (1) emailing a volunteer calendar containing a description of worthwhile, hands-on projects for working adults, families, and corporations that mostly occur after conventional work hours and on weekends; (2) involve corporations in employer-sponsored, team-building group volunteer projects; and (3) sponsor an annual Hands On Birmingham Days to bring together thousands of volunteers from all over Birmingham in a day of service to others.

HOB is unique in the freedom it gives to the individual participant. Although many of the volunteers become "regulars" at one particular project, each is encouraged to work with a variety of different activities and agencies to find one that suits his/her particular interest. This model of volunteerism eases the volunteer into community involvement, providing exposure to a community service partner without the upfront commitment of traditional volunteer programs.