Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ

  • There are a variety of ways to get involved with YES! We encourage you to visit our home page to see the options that are available to you.

  • Of course! While a core aspect of our annual service-retreat centers around building our relationship with Christ, we won’t turn you away simply because you aren’t Catholic.

Homeowners & Site Applicants

  • We encourage you to visit our Site Application page to see up-to-date information on deadlines and to submit an online application.

  • Only private homeowners (non-rental properties) and non-profit organizations are eligible. Please visit our Site Application page to submit an application.

  • No. The Toledo YES Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on donations and volunteers. There is no cost to the homeowner or organization for our work.

  • Unfortunately not. We receive more applications than we can take on as sites each year. Given that we can only take around 12 sites a year, we must be selective in the applications we choose. If you're not chosen as a site, you may always submit another application for the following summer!

  • Applications should be submitted by June 1 to ensure your consideration for the current year's project.

  • You will be in contact with a YES representative throughout the selection process so that you know where your application stands. If you have any questions, please visit our Contact page.

  • Yes. Someone must be home in order to answer questions, provide access to a bathroom, and to be a point of contact should any issues arise.

  • You may list anything you need help with in your application. However, we are not able to do any roof work, repair or install gutters, or other major structural fixes. When in doubt, ask your YES representative.

Participants

(High School Students)

  • The work we do can differ slightly from year to year depending on the needs of our community. A few things that YES is known for include:

    • Inside painting (bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms)

    • Outside painting (house, garage, porch, fence)

    • Gardening (weeding, mulching, pruning)

    • House cleaning and organizing

    • Yard cleaning

    • Other minor household repairs

  • The most important thing to bring is a positive attitude and a willingness to be open to Christ's love. A full packing list will be sent out with your welcome packet after your register. You can reference a past packing list here!

  • No. Participants should not bring their cell phones, smart watches, gaming devices, or similar electronics to the YES Project. If you do bring them, they will be collected at check-in, stored in a secure location, and returned after the closing Mass. A few days without electronics allows you to focus on serving your community, building connections with other high schoolers, and growing closer to Christ without the distractions.

  • No. All transportation for students at the YES Project must be provided by adults over the age of 21 in compliance with guidelines from the Diocese of Toledo. Students are allowed to drive themselves to the YES Project location, but all high school students who drive themselves will have their keys collected at check-in and returned after the closing Mass.

  • Yes, students are permitted to bring air mattresses provided they have their own pump. However, we ask that participants be mindful of the size of their sleeping arrangements, as most parishes have limited space during the event.

  • Absolutely! There will be opportunities to shower every day after working at the sites. We try our hardest to secure shower locations with private showers, but sometimes we must use facilities with community showers. We recommend bringing a swimsuit just in case.

  • The Toledo YES Project is as much a spiritual retreat as it is a service project. In the evenings you can expect to take part in directed spiritual activities aimed at bringing you closer to Christ, as well as playing games, swimming (depending on parish location and availability), and structured downtime with passive games available.

  • No. We have to waitlist and decline many students each year. If you are unable to make the full commitment from Wednesday evening through Saturday closing Mass, we ask that you let us know so we can offer that spot to someone else.

  • Participating in the entirety of the Toledo YES Project results in 24 service hours. We do not give partial hours for leaving partway through the project. Service hour requests can be made online after the conclusion of the project.

  • We pair up participants based on a variety of factors that encourage meeting new people, stepping outside comfort zones, and team building. As a result, we generally do not accept crew requests.

Junior Crew

  • Junior Crew are expected to drive themselves to and from the worksites every day and are not permitted to drive participants. We have other adult volunteers to make sure participants get to where they need to go.

  • No. Junior Crew are expected to shower at an alternative location during the project.

  • No. If you're not comfortable on an extension ladder, we will do our best to place you on a crew that doesn't require you to do so. However, if you indicate on your application that you are comfortable on extension ladders, you will be expected to get on one and paint during the project, as the upper portions of a house are always the bottleneck and we need all ladders in use at all times.

  • Yes. Junior Crew are required to spend the night for the duration of the project. Junior Crew sleep in the rooms with participants to encourage proper behavior and timely lights out.

Adult Volunteers

  • Absolutely. We have flexible scheduling. You can come for a single day, a few days, or the whole week.

  • We provide all necessary tools for the sites.

  • Yes! Our adults can volunteer in a variety of ways. We encourage you to check out our Adult Volunteers page to see the different ways you can help!

  • No. The Sunday meeting is just for those volunteers that will be leading crews.

Parents

  • All our volunteers over the age of 18 are required to complete VIRTUS training and protecting youth training through the Diocese of Toledo including a criminal background check.

  • Sleeping arrangements vary by parish. We aim to place all participants in air-conditioned spaces, though some may sleep in multi-purpose areas like gyms or cafeterias. Boys and girls are always separated, either by wing or floor. Our Junior Crew stay in the rooms with participants making sure proper behavior is upheld. We have both male and female adults present overnight in each area and our core adult team will make rounds during the night. Exterior doors remained locked throughout the night.

  • Our participants shower each day after they are done at their sites at one of a variety of locations. We utilize local high schools, local YMCAs, and the University of Toledo. We try our hardest to secure locations with private showers, but sometimes we must use facilities with community showers. We recommend participants bring a swimsuit just in case.

  • We serve breakfast every morning before sending our volunteers out to their sites. Crews are provided “packed lunches” for the worksite. Thee have historically been peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but we’ve experimented in recent years with other options. Our volunteers are also given a dinner after they return from the worksite and an evening snack before they go to bed.

  • Yes! As long as the dietary restrictions are disclosed on the participant’s application, we will make sure that everyone has something that they can eat for each meal.

  • Medications are stored in our "Nurse's Box" and are managed in a secure environment throughout the project. There is dedicated time during breakfast and the evening snack for participants to visit the nurse's table to receive their medications. We also have common OTC medications such as ibuprofen and tums that can be give out as needed.

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