I had an idea the other day that I'd like to share for community input.
Imagine that Brattleboro develops a "barn raising" corps of volunteers that is available for community projects.
The group has 20-100 residents with varying skills - yard work, lifting, moving, painting, sawing, hammering, digging, gardening, making food, sewing, etc. - that are willing to volunteer a certain number of hours over the course of a year.
Individuals and organizations can submit proposals for projects and the group would volunteer services for as many projects as possible. Some proposals can be sponsored and paid for with grants or donations; others can require that materials/supplies are paid for by those requesting the group's help.
Example 1:
A homeowner of limited means submits a proposal to the group to have her house painted. She offers to pay for paint if the group can take it on, which they do. A professional painter loans ladders for a day and 30 people show up one weekend to get the job done.
Example 2:
Harmony Park is approved, and part of the plan is to have the barn raisers do most of the work to save the town money and invest the community in the care and upkeep of the new area. The town crushes the parking lot and the group takes it from there, using donations from the community to obtain materials for landscaping and the rest.
The basic idea is that of the story of Stone Soup. If everyone contributes a little, the result is greater than the sum of its parts.
I'm curious, though. What sort of projects could you see this being used for if it existed? Would you consider tackling a big(ger) project yourself if you knew help was available? What expertise could you offer to such an organization? Would you require something in return?