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| Crew positions on Build America provide an
added component to the summer. Crew members have added responsibilities to help
make the summer a great success. These individuals ensure the safety of the
team and serve as the leaders of the group. It is also a chance to gain real
world leadership experience and possibly receive internship credit for a future
career. |
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Crew
Benefits:
College credit for internship
First-aid/CPR certification
Training in management, communications and leadership
Advanced individual training for crew position
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Back to the Top |
| What are the different crew positions? |
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| Project Manager: |
Overall team
operations |
| Crew Chief: |
Overall team
safety and work site manager |
| Finance/Logistics: |
Team
expenses, donations and sales |
| Public Relations: |
Coordination
of media interviews |
| Development: |
Maintain
volunteer/sponsor relations |
| Historian: |
Team photographer
and journalist |
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| Is Build America open to Pi Kappa Phi alumni? |
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| All
Push America team events are now open to alumni. Alumni participation has
greatly increased and has also added strong and experienced leaders to our
teams. Alumni are highly encouraged to participate in Push America’s team events |
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| I'm putting
myself through school or have a career, how can I afford this or get time off? |
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| Build America is an experience that you can't afford NOT to do! More than half
of the Build America team members have part-time jobs—some even full-time. You
have to plan ahead and save up some of your hard earned dollars so you can
participate in something that will change your life! Most employers are very
understanding when it comes to commitment to service, so ask early and get them
involved in your experience |
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| How hard is the fundraising? |
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Raising
a minimum of $4,000 may be an incredible challenge, but it is possible! If you
are like 96% of our team members, you will raise a lot more than that! Push
America has the resources to help you reach your goals - we just need team
members willing to do the work.
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| How have team
members raised their money in the past? |
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The average contribution is $25, meaning you need
to ask almost everyone you know in order to meet your fundraising goals. The
following areas have been the most successful: recurring gifts, family and
friends, civic clubs, local businesses, sororities, churches, and fundraising
events. Please see the fundraising section of the team member manual for
details and ideas.
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| What if, despite best efforts, a team member falls short of the fundraising requirement? When is the fundraising deadline? |
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| If team members are having problems with
fundraising, they need to contact the Push America office as soon as possible. The
staff can provide resources to be successful, but ultimately it takes time and
effort. If a team member does not meet the fundraising minimum by the time he
arrives at orientation, he will not be permitted participate in the event
unless he has a credit card to cover remaining balance. |
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Back to the Top |
| When do team members need to be at the opening event? |
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Crew Member: report to orientation city by 12:00
p.m. on June 23, 2013
Team Members: report to orientation city by 2:00 p.m. on June
26, 2013
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| Is there a list
of recommended supplies and clothing to pack? |
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There is a detailed list of needed and/or
recommended items located on pages 9-10 of the Appendix section of the Build
America manual.
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| How much money
should a team member budget for the summer? What costs are team members
responsible for? |
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Team members are responsible for travel to and from orientation and
arrival and their tool expenses. Three meals a day, snacks during the day and
lodging each night is provided for the event. What team members spend over the
summer is proportional to their spending habits now! Previous team members have spent from $20 to
$1,500! A good number to have available is around $500 for emergencies.
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| Do the team members have to supply their own work clothes?
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Each team member will also receive a set of work shirts, a polo and two
t-shirts.
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| Do team members need to arrange their own flight to the start of the event? |
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Yes, team members need to arrange their own flights.
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| Are they responsible for paying for their flights or can they use donations for that? |
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Each team member is responsible for paying
for his flight out and back. However, some team members have found friends or
family members to donate airline miles for his travel—DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS
FUNDRAISING TOTAL.
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Back to the Top |
| Do most
participants fly and arrive the day before orientation? |
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The majority of participants arrive the day
orientation starts. Push America does
not provide lodging prior to the first day of orientation.
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| Is there transportation from the airport to a designated start point? |
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| Yes, Push America will provide transportation from
Denver Int’l Airport (DIA) to the place of orientation. If a team member
arrives at a different airport than the designated one, he will have to find
his own transportation to orientation. |
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| What is
an average day? |
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| Below is a schedule to give you an idea of an
average day on Build America. This schedule will vary from day to day, with
different events being planned with many different organizations. Expect to be
very active and to meet a lot of very nice people along the way. |
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| Time |
Event |
| 7:00 am. |
Wake Up |
| 7:30 a.m. |
Breakfast & Team Circle Up |
| 8:00 a.m. |
Begin work on the site |
| 12:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:00 p.m. |
Continue work on the site |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Clean up |
| 6:00 p.m. |
Dinner |
| 7:00 p.m. |
Programming with campers |
| 11:00 p.m. |
Lights out |
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Back to the Top |
Where does the
team eat? |
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The
camp provides all meals for team members. Sponsors and Push America provide
meals on travel days.
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| Where do the teams stay? |
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The
camps provide lodging when staying at camp. The team stays in churches, high
school gymnasiums or recreation centers during travel days.
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| Can team members
be contacted in case of an emergency? |
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The
team will have a voice mailbox where family members can leave messages in case
of emergency. The voice mailbox is checked daily by the project manager and
messages will be relayed to the team member. A list of emergency phone numbers
will also be provided before the summer, so that family and friends will be able
to reach the team member, if necessary.
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| Can team members
receive mail over the summer? Are there ways to send inspirational notes or
little gifts along the way to let him know we’re thinking of him and supporting
his progress? |
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There
will be scheduled mail drops for family and friends to send well wishes, notes,
postcards, letters, and/or packages.
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| If parents,
family or friends want to treat the group to a dinner along the way, how does
that work? |
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Call Director of Logistics, Tom Schmidt to sponsor a
meal for the team, or click here.
Build America – (980) 318-5390 or logistics@pushamerica.org
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| How can someone
follow the team’s progress during the summer? |
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Go to www.pushamerica.org and click on you
the specific event. You can check out the links for the Itinerary, Routes and
Rosters.
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| How can family be of most help --- what is the ideal family participation? |
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Team members start their journey when they
sign up for a team event. Preparation for the event can be very challenging, so
encouragement or assistance with fundraising and is very important. Another important
time is the arrival. The arrival is an exciting and emotional experience for
everyone involved. We suggest if you can make it to one event during the
summer, this would be the event.
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Back to the Top |
| How are team members treated for medical issues? |
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| All crew members have had and are certified
in CPR and first-aid training. There are vehicles with the team in case of an
emergency and these can be used to transport someone in need of medical
attention. |
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| Where do team
members finish in D.C., so family/friends can be there to cheer them on? Do parents/family/friends stay at a certain
hotel in D.C.? |
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| Team members will
arrive on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. on the west front lawn of the
Capitol in Washington, DC. Be sure to
arrive at the Capitol by 10:30 a.m. to get a spot to see the teams, as they
will arrive promptly at 11:00 a.m. There will be time to take plenty of
pictures following a short program. |
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| Team member lodging will be an easy walk (3
blocks) from the Capitol to the hotel. Parents, family and friends need to make
their own arrangements through the room block set aside at the same hotel the
team members are staying. Push America will arrange the lodging for team
members on the night of arrival. More information will be available on the Push
America website. |
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