Build-a-Hand^®

Life-changing teambuilding is virtuous and virtual

The Build-a-Hand (Helping Hands) program and Build-a-Hand^® Team Building Kits have delivered over 80,000 prosthetic hands to amputees around the world. This flagship CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) event is one of the most profound give-back experiences available. Since March 2020 it has been embraced virtually with the same powerful impact on individuals, teams and organizations.

If you are new to the Build-a-Hand^® program, welcome. If you are an existing client looking to see how it is delivered virtually, welcome back. Available with Odyssey’s expert facilitation in a turn-key program and as a DIY experience.

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Join our FREE Program Demo to learn more

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Five Simple Steps To Your Virtual Build-a-Hand^® Event

1. Build-a-Hand^® Kits are shipped to participants in advance of your event. Each participant receives the materials to build a hand, design/decorate carrying case, and write a note to the recipient.

2. Gather everyone on your favorite virtual platform and begin: Set context – The Why – show Pre-Build video to give people an understanding of the life-changing gift they are about to build. Build in breakout groups – share best practices, help each other through the various steps. Many clients have welcomed kids/family/friends join the build. The building of the hand, designing the carrying case and writing note to the recipients takes about 90 minutes.

3. Debrief the Build-a-Hand^® Experience: Show the Post-Build Video and then have participants write what they are feeling in the chat box and/or send them to breakouts to discuss this experience as a metaphor for their work. How did/does the experience connect to the concepts, themes, values of your team/organization/community? The questions and connections are endless. The experience combined with powerful facilitation can transform an organization.

4. Return the finished hands back to Odyssey Teams for QA and distribution around the world.

5. Follow Odyssey Teams/Ellen Meadows Prosthetic Hand Foundation to see and share the impact as we post pictures and stories of recipients around the world. Share these with your team and provide follow up.

Booking Information

What Clients Are Saying About Virtual Build-a-Hand^®

“Doing helping hands virtually was one of the highlights of our leadership event. We absolutely loved doing this virtually. It added a bit of fun for the participants, and they were able to involve their families in building the hand, which is fantastic at this point where most corporates are working remotely with family around. The participants said doing something like this with their family was transformational and very emotional. I highly, highly recommend this event for your virtual conference,”

Katie Gordon, Global Leadership Development, Accenture

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Why Your Team Needs To Experience Virtual Build-a-Hand^®

The Virtual Build-a-Hand^® (Helping Hands) program brings teams together and increases collaboration and communication for remote workers while also creating something valuable for someone in need. The program also focuses on commitment and quality while deepening a sense of community.

Coordination in dispersed workforces: The virtual version of Build-a-Hand^® precisely simulates the kinds of challenges teams face when working in a dispersed team. Each team member possesses a different piece of the puzzle and it’s only through clear communication and connection with the “big picture” that teams will successfully deliver all outcomes required in the timeframes allowed.

Personal and work-life integration: Virtual Build-a-Hand^® is also a great opportunity to share meaningful work with your family. There are several opportunities where all members of the family (young and old) may be able to help. The coming together of each team member’s personal and work life often prompts powerful conversations about the norms that teams wish to establish.

Leadership versus supervision: Virtual Build-a-Hand^® intentionally provides for a supervisory role along with a big-picture coordinating role. Contrasting these two separate, but complementary functions is a fantastic opportunity to talk about what leadership means for each individual in the team.

All About The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Kit

The power of our DIY team building kits is in your hands. With the DIY version of this program, we give you everything you need to build prosthetic hands, a how-to instructional video and the keys to delivering your very own version of the Helping Hands program to your team.

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Transform Teams While Transforming Lives

The Virtual Helping Hands program is an inspirational team building activity created by Odyssey Teams. It’s about perspective, inspiration, collaboration, and giving back. By building prosthetic hands for people in need, your team will be part of a growing movement to connect to the “WHY” of your work, your team mates, and to the world.

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Tedx: Helping Hands and Disruption

Disruption leads to transformation and growth. Tedx invited our COO, Lain Hensley, to take the stage and tell the story of building prosthetic hands and how Odyssey Teams harnesses the power of disruption to transform teams. Watch this inspiring talk.

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“Odyssey Teams left us with a common language in which our company can build upon to achieve greatness.”

Pete Brunner, BCSI

“Thank you very much for your help in making my meeting so successful and connecting the dots to all of my key messages in such a meaningful way.”

Tracy Tannenbaum, Heritage Homes

“Much to our delight, our participants had a terrific experience with the Helping Hands activity… and spent the remainder of the conference talking about it! The program that Odyssey Teams has developed is by far the most memorable, fulfilling, and moving “teambuilding” experience we have participated in.”

Brandy L Szever, Vanguard

“Thank you and your team for two great days of training. I couldn’t be more pleased with the training team you assembled, the content and how the material was received by the participants. You listened to our challenges and geared a program that got right to heart of some of our key management/organizational development issues. It was amazing to sit back and watch the light bulbs go on for our managers. I look forward to them taking the learnings back to the work place and applying them.”

Christine Stout, Premier Retail Network

“So many employees have approached to say how moved they were by by the bike build. It was such a positive lesson on working together and asking for help. The afternoon left a mark on everyone who participated in such a positive way.”

Cindy Silva, Ariat International Inc.

“Thank you for putting together and facilitating a fabulous collaboration exercise in Orlando. We’ve done a lot of different team-building activities and other types of exercises through the years, but this one was simply extraordinary. I have lost count of how many participants have grabbed me or emailed me to tell me how impactful it was to them on a professional and personal level. I was showing my kids last night the pictures we took on our iPhones, and they were amazed.”

Elana McFann, United Healthcare

“Odyssey Teams touched our team members, and our team members are taking that feeling and making positive action.”

Gretchen Chismar, Honeywell

“We really had an opportunity to know each other better and to have some fun together in a way that increases our commitment to work together effectively. But the biggest payoff of all was the combined feeling of having accomplished something with such an impact to people around the world.”

Jean E. Deering, Wells Fargo

“Odyssey Teams touched 970 people who are at an impressionable point in their lives. I’m confident that the wisdom and emotion Odyssey shared will positively impact their entire careers.”

Jenna Ballestrino, Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH)

“Our team unanimously voted the 3 hours with Odyssey Teams was the most beneficial part of our entire meeting.”

Julie C., BCD Meeting & Incentives

“The Helping Hands event structure + the personal connection to the prosthetic hands have left a lasting impression on our team. Many people still reference the event 90 days later.”

Megan A. Westman, GE Lighting

“The mosaic exercise is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done in Corporate America! What a beautiful outcome from such a simple but effective exercise.”

Jen Matlock, AbbVie

“Mission accomplished! The Odyssey Teams session exceeded every expectation I had. It created a unity with our teams and connected people in meaningful and thought-provoking inner-soul searching ways.”

Michelle Stokes, Merck

“Odyssey Teams wowed everyone. Feedback from executives to new team members has been phenomenal and the lessons learned will be lasting.”

Ralph S. Henderson, AMN Healthcare

“We found that working together for a worthwhile cause gave us perspective on new ways to use our talents to use for the good of others while learning important lessons about our own capabilities. Thank you, Odyssey Teams.”

Tim Somers, Pernod Ricard USA

“In my opinion, Odyssey Teams’ keynote and facilitation set the foundation and tone for an impactful two-day, staff retreat—I’m not sure we would have gotten to that level without Odyssey Teams kicking it off!”

Megan Moser, University of Pennsylvania

“Odyssey Teams provided the perfect foundation and jumping-off point for what our meeting was designed to accomplish. Helping Hands became the metaphor for how our team aspires to work together.”

Julie Person, Shire

“We’ve sung Odyssey Teams’ praises to everyone we know. Odyssey Teams has the unique ability to impact a group at the core with the right amount of humor.”

My-An Le, Kaiser Permanente Great Los Angeles

“Since the program, I have caught myself being myself and working on being a better person, husband, father, co-worker and friend. Perspective is everything…”

Dan Link, SDCDA

“Having experienced team building events all over the world, I must admit that nothing will top the experience we had with Odyssey Teams. Building unity, teamwork, collaboration – seeing real people, extending beyond themselves to help others, has been priceless.”

Kristen Muckleroy, Fiberlink Communications

Build-a-Hand^®

Life-changing teambuilding is virtuous and virtual

Join our FREE Program Demo to learn more

Five Simple Steps To Your Virtual Build-a-Hand^® Event

What Clients Are Saying About Virtual Build-a-Hand^®

Why Your Team Needs To Experience Virtual Build-a-Hand^®

All About The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Kit

Transform Teams While Transforming Lives

Tedx: Helping Hands and Disruption

WHY THE BEST COMPANIES HIRE ODYSSEY TEAMS

There are many reasons why 80% of our business is repeat or referred clients. Companies have been relying on us to power and inspire their workforce for decades.

Build-a-Hand®

Life-changing teambuilding is virtuous and virtual

Join our FREE Program Demo to learn more

Five Simple Steps To Your Virtual Build-a-Hand® Event

What Clients Are Saying About Virtual Build-a-Hand®

Why Your Team Needs To Experience Virtual Build-a-Hand®

All About The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Kit

Transform Teams While Transforming Lives

Tedx: Helping Hands and Disruption

WHY THE BEST COMPANIES HIRE ODYSSEY TEAMS

There are many reasons why 80% of our business is repeat or referred clients. Companies have been relying on us to power and inspire their workforce for decades.

Build-a-Hand^®

Five Simple Steps To Your Virtual Build-a-Hand^® Event

What Clients Are Saying About Virtual Build-a-Hand^®

Why Your Team Needs To Experience Virtual Build-a-Hand^®