User:Srparnes/Heritage Conservation Network

Heritage Conservation Network

HCN is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the world’s architectural heritage. Its programs give volunteers from all walks of life the opportunity to be involved in preservation in a variety of hands-on ways.

About HCN
HCN organizes a series of hands-on building conservation workshops and volunteer vacations, nicknamed Adventures in Preservation. Working in locations around the world, participants support community-based preservation projects, such as restoring houses to create affordable housing. The workshops are meaningful opportunities to give back while learning about preservation in general, as well as specific building conservation techniques.

Each workshop is led by a technical expert, who teaches and guides volunteers as they work. Participation is open to all, from teens to active retirees. Since its founding in 2001, Heritage Conservation Network has worked in a half-dozen countries, including Albania, Slovenia, Mexico, Italy, Ghana, and the United States. Many other projects are in development. Requests for assistance come directly from people involved at the grass-roots level, and projects are put onto a wait list.

Global Impact & Recognition
Numerous examples have shown that HCN’s volunteer efforts are a major catalyst for conservation. HCN volunteers have played a key role in restoration projects at the Frances Mill in Waynesville, North Carolina; the Weisel Bridge, Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Manor House in Oplotnica, Slovenia; the gardens of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, The Bronx, New York; and adobe residences in Mesilla, New Mexico.

They have also been involved in restoration efforts at the Jean (Jacob) Hasbrouck House, New Paltz, New York; the Monastery of San Giovanni Battista, Serravalle (VT), Italy; a shotgun house in Cairo, Illinois; the Chief’s House in Ablekuma, Ghana; and missions in Chihuahua, Mexico. HCN also organized crews of volunteers in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to help clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

HCN volunteers restore more than buildings. They restore people's lives, their communities, and their pride in their heritage. The workshops also contribute variously to heritage tourism, economic development, and job training initiatives.

The organization and its volunteers have received awards for their efforts at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and their emergency stabilization work at the James Brown House and Farm Ooltehwah, Tennessee.

Workshops
HCN offers six to eight workshops each year. As with most “voluntourism” programs, there is a fee for participating. This fee covers lodging, most meals, insurance, instructions, and a contribution towards the cost of conservation work and building materials. Current workshop offerings are listed on their website.