Urban Boatbuilders is growing to serve more youth, but we need a new shop to do it. We've found a space, but we need to raise $25,000 to complete renovations. Saint Paul, Minnesota, United StatesEducation

Building Boats, Changing Lives

Urban Boatbuilders is a youth development organization serving at-risk teens that uses the building of wooden boats as a vehicle to develop academic, life and work skills. Through two signature programs, School Partnerships and Apprenticeships, we reach hundreds of youth each year. We believe that every youth who walks through our door has inherent value and the potential for a successful future. As a result, our goal is to use the building of wooden boats as a means to develop tangible skills and the values of craftsmanship, perseverance, self-confidence, responsibility, cooperation, teamwork and communication in preparation for a successful future.

We’re ready to double the number of young people we serve, but we need a bigger workshop to do that. We found a space that will be fantastic, but we need $50,000 to transform it from its current state into a boat building workshop.

A very generous donor has offered to match dollar-for-dollar the first $25,000 in contributions, so we’re turning to you and IndieGoGo for help with the other half! Your support will not only transform a physical space, but also the lives of the thousands of young people Urban Boatbuilders will serve from our new workshop! Thank you!

What We Need: A New Workshop

Right now, we’re operating out of a 1,250 square foot workshop, with 5 staffers sharing a 10 x 12 foot office. With all the tools, lumber, and boats, it’s pretty tight. The shop space limits our youth apprentices to working on only one or sometimes two boats at a time. So we hang the other in-progress boats from the ceiling and spend valuable time bringing them down and hoisting them up again. Most of our lumber supplies have to be kept in storage off site.

The current space is very full of boats and people.

The new space is more than 4 times as large at 5,000 square feet, and will allow our apprentices to work on 4 boats at a time. We’ll also have real offices for program staff, as well as a small kitchen space and a classroom. We’ll be able to keep supplies on site, limiting the time spent hauling things around instead of building boats. Plus, it’s within a block of the Raymond Avenue stop on the new light rail transit line in St. Paul, so our apprentices will have easy access to their new workshop.

The new space: empty now, but full of potential!

To make this happen, we’re going to need your help! The space has great potential, but it needs work and the build-out costs add up quickly. Here are a few cost estimates of the bigger-ticket items:

• Demolition of existing industrial structures: $2,000
• Workbenches and shelving: $1,850
• Repainting all surfaces: $6,600
• Replace ceilings in offices: $1,900
• New ADA-compliant bathroom and kitchenette: $9,500
• New overhead doors with glass for natural light: $2,750
• Flooring for the boat-building area: $5,800
• Bringing sprinkler system up to code: $1,800
• Cabinets, doors, interior walls, and other millwork: $7,700
• Lighting, outlets, and other electrical work: $8,750

With your help, we can transform the space into a welcoming, comfortable, and productive workshop and office, allowing even more youth the experience the joy of building something with their own hands.

What You’ll Get

First, you’ll have our deepest thanks: we couldn’t grow without the support of donors like you!

Second, your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar. You’ll have twice the impact! We’re a registered 501(c)3, so your support is tax-deductible too.

Third, everyone who contributes to the campaign at any level will have their name on our Founding Donors wall in the new workshop! It’s our way of recognizing all of the people who will have made this new space possible.

Lastly, we’ve put together some great incentives for this campaign, with everything from coffee mugs and workshop aprons to a canoe paddle making class or custom-built 17’ canoe! If you have any questions about any of the perks, just let us know.

This boat could be yours!

The Impact

Urban Boatbuilders is a unique non-profit. Our apprentices often come from the juvenile justice system or are in some other way at-risk. The apprentice program offers them the chance to learn valuable job skills, earn some money, work as a team with peers and adults, and build character while building boats. They also get the opportunity to take the boats they built out on the water in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area each August; an experience not many urban youth get.

Other Ways You Can Help

There are lots of ways you can help in addition to supporting this campaign.

First, you can share this with your friends, family, and social networks! Ask them to check it out and contribute! Use the links on this page to post it to Facebook, Twitter, etc!

Second, we’re always looking for in-kind donations of tools, supplies, boats, and building materials. Let us know if you or your employer is interested in providing goods or services in kind.

We’re also always looking for volunteers! If you’re in the Twin Cities and would like to volunteer with Urban Boatbuilders, you can find more info on our website, www.urbanboatbuilders.org.

Thanks!