Rainbow Build 2016

This past week, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity celebrated its fourth annual Rainbow Build week, helping to build a home in South Minneapolis. Rainbow Build is one of Habitat's special build weeks that brings people together to not only build a home, but also learn about housing and issues impacting the the LGBTQ community.

"We thought this would be a great way to bring LGBTQ community together to build for a common purpose," said Anne Elliot-Thul, Manager of Volunteer and Constituent Programs at Twin Cities Habitat. "It's also a unique build week for Habitat, because we ask speakers from local organizations to come in and lead discussions over the lunch break."

This year's guest speakers included representatives from Avenues for Homeless Youth, Clare Housing and the Minnesota Aids Project.

"It's a really great project and the vibe of the entire week is just a little different from other Habitat builds," said Wendy, who has participated in Rainbow Build all three years. "The building aspect can seem intimidating to some, but I usually tell people, 'if you've seen a hammer before, that's more than enough construction experience.'"

Wendy is one of 75 volunteers that participated in the 2016 Rainbow Build week. Each day was a mix of individual volunteers, and those that came with groups from Target's LGBT Business Council and Prudential Financial.

"We've experienced steady growth and interest in Rainbow Build year after year," Anne said. "We're hoping to involve even more of the local LGBTQ community next year!"

Mark your calendars - next year's Rainbow Build week will take place August 28 - Sept 1, 2017. If you're interested in learning more about the event, you can sign up to receive more details closer to the event, or you can contact our Volunteer Coordinator to get involved.