The slowed economy and a rise in unemployment has meant that more people are taking advantage of volunteering and pro-bono opportunities – to build their resumes or just to stay busy.

People in Issaquah and Sammamish will soon have the chance to do some volunteer work in the Issaquah Highlands.

Habitat for Humanity, which is building five houses in the Highlands for low income families, is about to launch their very first Build-a-Thon, which will give people interested in volunteering just a few days, or a few hours, of their time on a Habitat build site the opportunity to do so.

Volunteering for the Build-a-Thon is unique because it consists of a half-day only.

It also includes lunch, and the opportunity to earn an exclusive event t-shirt.

Volunteers can sign up for a morning or afternoon shift – a great way for volunteers to get their first experience working on a Habitat construction site.

Habitat is one of the popular options for volunteers in King County. Numbers of would-be volunteers have risen so much that Habitat has had to implement waiting lists.

Volunteering in the Build-a-Thon is one way to get around the waiting list.

As well as the site in the Highlands, Habitat build sites still available for the Build-a-Thon also include High Point in West Seattle, Rainier Vista in South Seattle, Snoqualmie and the Habitat Home Improvement Outlet.

Habitat is accepting volunteers for the dates of Sept. 19 through Oct. 3.

In order to sign up, volunteers agree to work one half-day shift and ask friends and neighbors to sponsor their shift with a financial donation to Habitat.

The goal of the Build-a-Thon is to raise money to help Habitat build more homes for families earning 60 percent or less of the median income for King County, or less than $50,580 a year for a family of four.

Many of these families pay a much-larger-than-normal portion of their income for housing, and often the housing is seriously deficient, with problems such as mold or leaky roofs.

Both King County Habitat affiliates see the Build-a-Thon as a way to forge relationships needed to change the face of housing in the community, where only 18 percent of single-family homes are affordable to families earning less than 80 percent of the median income.

For more information on the Build-a-Thon, go to www.habitatbuildathon.org.

For more information on the Habitat for Humanity project in the Issaquah Highlands, go to www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/iss-s/news/.