Above: DreamBuilders volunteers with HDA carpenters. The group brought 35 members with them from Maryland, including 13 youth, to help build 3 new homes in 1 week for flood-impacted families. The group raised $75,000 (a $25,000 sponsorship per home) to aid with the costs of construction.
DreamBuilders Return for 4th Annual House Raising
Volunteer team framed three new homes in one week alongside HDA’s carpenters at Chestnut Ridge
LEBURN, Ky. (June 26, 2026) – Eleven new homes built for East Kentucky flood survivors in four years by a single volunteer crew. That’s the impact Maryland DreamBuilders have made for our community.
Housing Development Alliance, Inc. (HDA) proudly welcomed back Maryland DreamBuilders throughout the week of June 22-26, 2026 for the Ultimate House Raising Challenge, a high-energy volunteer build event in which the team worked alongside HDA’s professional carpenters to help frame three new homes in a single week at Chestnut Ridge.
DreamBuilders Week has become a special tradition for both HDA and the returning volunteer team from Maryland, whose commitment and enthusiasm over the last four years has helped make the annual event one of the most exciting and impactful weeks of HDA’s construction season.
“This week is about much more than framing houses,” said HDA Executive Director Scott McReynolds. “It’s about partnership, dedication, and people coming together to help create opportunity for families in our region. We are incredibly grateful to Maryland DreamBuilders for continuing to come back year after year and making this event their own.”
DreamBuilders Week highlights the power of volunteer service in helping meet housing needs across the region. While HDA’s professional carpenters lead and guide the work, the returning DreamBuilders team brings additional energy, manpower, and heart to a challenging week of construction that produces visible results in just a matter of days.
“This group has built a real connection to this work and to Eastern Kentucky,” said HDA Volunteer Coordinator Jane Rose Britton. “Their willingness to return for a fourth year says so much about their commitment – not just to building houses, but to helping build stronger communities.”
The homes framed during DreamBuilders Week are part of HDA’s broader mission to create safe, quality, affordable housing and strengthen communities across the four Eastern Kentucky counties it serves. At Chestnut Ridge, that work represents both immediate progress and long-term investment in the future of local families.
Community members and supporters were able to follow all of the action on HDA’s social media throughout the week for photos, video updates, and behind-the-scenes looks at the build in progress.
For more information about the Ultimate House Raising Challenge, HDA’s housing programs, or ways to support this work, visit www.hdahome.org or contact Mindy Miller, Director of Development and Communications at 606-436-0497.
About Maryland DreamBuilders
DreamBuilders is a multi-faith Maryland volunteer group that has organized construction-based mission projects since 2002. According to the organization, its volunteers have helped work on 70 homes across the U.S. and around the world, partnering with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and AmeriCorps to support housing for individuals and families. Find out more at https://dreambuildersmd.org/
