Outreach and Trades Education

Touch-a-Truck NRV

The annual Touch-a-Truck NRV allows children to become familiar with building industry and public service careers by offering an educational opportunity to explore trucks, tractors, and heavy machinery, and to interact with the people who build, protect, and serve the NRV. This annual event brings in over 3,000 people and is one of the favorite family events of the year!

Build Her Dreams Bed Build

The New River Valley Home Builders Association’s Women in Building Committee proudly launched an impactful community service event on Saturday September 14, 2024, "Build Her Dreams Bed Build," to celebrate Professional Women in Building Week. This event combined career awareness and community service, offering girls in the NRV community a unique opportunity to learn about construction careers while making a tangible difference. We build 40 beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace with over 70 girls from local organizations. They gained hands-on experience using power tools, guided by women from the construction industry who shared their expertise and inspired the girls with their career stories.

Rick Whitney Memorial Scholarship

The NRVHBA awards scholarships each year to deserving students enrolled in construction-related studies at Virginia’s colleges, trade schools and within working internships. Each spring we present a scholarship of $1,000 to a graduating senior who is interested in entering the building profession, including but not limited to architecture, drafting, building trades (electrical, plumbing, hvac), carpentry, contracting, and engineering.

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Microgrant Program

The NRVHBA Microgrant Program provides funding for special projects and/or materials within elementary and secondary classrooms that aligns with the workforce development interests of the home building and construction industry. This program provides the opportunity for teachers to enhance their curriculum, maximize opportunities for their students, and encourage interest in construction trades careers. Since the program's inception, the NRVHBA has awarded $12,000 in grants to local schools.

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Touch-a-Truck NRV

A portion of the proceeds raised from the annual Touch-a-Truck program goes directly back to the NRVHBA Microgrant Program. In 2024, we raised over $5,000 from the event to go back to our community. Additionally, each year the event has a special building activity provided by one of our members, Setter Construction. Donations to this activity help support the NRVHBA Scholarship Fund.

Annual Golf Tournament

Funds raised during the annual golf tournament go back to our Scholarship Fund and Workforce Development Initiatives. Our workforce development initiatives vary each year and can support attending career fairs, distributing information about careers in construction, donations to schools, and more. In 2024, we raised over $3,500 for these two programs.

Habitat for Humanity Restore Partnership

The NRVHBA partners with Habitat for Humanity where our members can donate items to the restore with a special NRVHBA sticker. Anything with these stickers on, the NRVHBA and Habitat for Humanity split the proceeds, with 50% benefitting Habitat for Humanity and 50% going back to the NRVHBA Scholarship Fund. If you need a stock of stickers, please reach out to info@nrvhba.com.

Parade of Playhouses

Debuting at the 2025 NRV Home Expo, the Parade of Playhouses will feature custom built playhouses that have been built and donated by local builders. These playhouses will be auctioned off and 100% of the proceeds will go back to the NRVHBA Microgrant Program.

The Workforce Development Committee is responsible for developing programming and initiatives to educate our community, raise awareness of careers in construction and the importance of trades education, and provide educational opportunities for businesses and their employees. The committee works through three key focus areas:

1. K-12 Engagement: Collaborating with local schools to increase awareness of career opportunities in construction by building strong connections with CTE Directors, teachers, students, and parents, and creating targeted outreach programs.
2. Postsecondary Partnerships: Strengthening relationships with Radford University, Virginia Tech, New River Community College, and Wytheville Community College to expand educational and training opportunities that support recent high school graduates, attract and retain talented graduates to the local workforce, and benefit members in residential construction.
3. Professional Development: Offering educational programs to support business growth and upskill employees, helping members better manage, train, and retain their teams.

Through these initiatives, the committee aims to foster a robust and skilled workforce for the construction industry in the New River Valley region.

Interested in joining us? Fill out our committee interest form here.

The NRVHBA has created many videos to raise awareness of the different paths in the construction industry, why you should look at it as a career and why education in the trades is so important. Visit our Youtube Channel to check out our Video Series, or start with Part One below!