Rebuilding Together starts Building a Healthy Neighborhood 2013 in Columbus, Ohio, this Thursday! We’ll be renovating 16 homes in the Greater Hill Top community. Here are a few of the homeowner’s we’ll be helping.

Vinell, born in 1959, has lived in her current home for almost her whole adult life. During her time on the Hilltop, Vinell enjoyed working as a nurse’s aide at the Columbus Developmental Center, but her career was cut short because of an injury, resulting in two knee and two hip replacements.

In recent years, Vinell’s disability has prevented her from setting the example she would like.Living on a fixed income prevents her from being able to afford maintenance on her house. The project includes: replacing basement windows with glass block, adding a handrail to the front stairs, installing a new handheld shower sprayer, and installing a transition strip between the kitchen and living room.

Aletha, born in Alabama in 1945, moved to Columbus  in 1963 in order to be closer to her relatives. During her adulthood, she married and 2 daughters and a son. She worked as a machine operator and her husband worked for Nationwide.

Aletha has lived in her current home for almost 40 years. Her children grew up in the home, and she remembers fondly how her children and their friends would play in the house. This outgoing and likeable woman has recently been spending much more time at home, having retired in January 2013. She tries to keep herself busy with sewing and cooking. She particularly likes baking things such as cakes and pies.

Now living on a fixed income, Aletha is having trouble with the maintenance of her home. Some of the repairs that would help her stay warm, safe and dry include: repairing the handrail to the back door, installing new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and miscellaneous electrical repairs.

Henry, born in Pennsylvania in 1962, has been in Columbus for 27 years. During his time in Columbus, Henry became a truck driver; a job he enjoyed very much. He proudly talks about having been to every state in the continental U.S.

Henry has been in his current home for only 12 years, and in that short amount of time he and his family have created many wonderful memories. His two daughters spent most of their childhood in this house. Henry is also enjoying creating new memories with three of his grandchildren every Sunday when they come to visit for dinner, as well as with a 22 month old child he and his wife are fostering.

Currently, Henry and his wife have been living on a fixed income. A few of the repairs include: replacing missing shingles on the roof, gutter clean out and repair and yard work.

William was born in Columbus. Upon entering adulthood, he joined the Army, in which he was a carpenter. He loved the trade so much that he still continues to find carpentry work where he can despite no longer being in the military.

Though he has only owned his house for two and a half years, he has known it for much longer. His parents bought the house in 1964 when he was only eight years old. He decided to buy the home when it looked like his family might lose it. Inside the house, you can see his passion for carpentry and interior design in ceiling textures and painted designs. He explains that he would like to turn this hobby into a way to help others by developing properties and working on shelters for the homeless. Not having a steady job has made it difficult for William to afford repairs for his home. 

Meet Hillary Bundy! 

Hillary Bundy, a program manager at Rebuilding Together’s National Office, has spent the last four years working in almost every facet Rebuilding Together has to offer.

Born in Oklahoma, Hillary grew up in a small town in Texas. However, she considers both states her home.

Hillary went to George Washington University where she majored in international affairs and concentrated in contemporary cultures and society. She sees her studies in social cultural anthropology going hand in hand with her work with Rebuilding Together’s affiliates and community development. And she’s in good company. A surprisingly high number of anthropologists have found their way to Rebuilding Together’s National Office.

She started at Rebuilding Together as the green housing intern in June of 2009 and held that position until May 2010. Soon after, she began her term of service with CapacityCorps at Rebuilding Together Oklahoma City. She made her way back to the national office in the summer of 2011 as the office specialist. She quickly transitioned to program associate for the grants team and has recently been promoted to program manager.

As for the differences between the National Office and the Affiliate Network, Hillary said, “We see things nationally. We try to help the entire network. Affiliates see their community and try to understand how national things affect them.”

Hillary’s favorite Rebuilding Together moment is her NBA Cares Day of Service experience while serving as a CapacityCorps member. She worked alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder players. The players affectionately called her “The Boss Lady.” Hillary joked, “Apparently, I run a tight volunteer ship.”

Hillary said she sees Tiffanie Kinney, Rebuilding Together’s affiliate relations director of central regions, as a source of inspiration. Tiffanie was Hillary’s supervisor when she was an intern. “Tiffanie has a wealth of Rebuilding Together knowledge. She knows the sponsors and affiliates really well.”

Tim Reardon, program director for Rebuilding Together Oklahoma City, also served as a mentor for Hillary. “Tim really helped me grow professionally. He was supportive, always wanted to hear more, and was a great provider of constructive feedback.” She especially admired how much Tim believed in CapacityCorps. Hillary said that Tim always wanted new ideas from the young people in the community. Hillary last heard from Tim not too long ago when he sent her a congratulations note for her recent promotion.

When not helping Rebuilding Together affiliates, Hillary sings in a competitive karaoke league. We had to know what theme song she would give to Rebuilding Together. After some thought, Hillary said, “We Built This City.” Sounds perfect to us. 

Rebuilding Together New York City, Lowe’s, and Meredith Corporation are renovating close to a dozen homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Brooklyn’s Gerritsen Beach neighborhood this Thursday. Here are some of the homeowners they’ll be helping.

Mr. and Mrs. Monel

Mr. Monel, 73, and Mrs. Monel, 76, live at their home along with their son, who is hearing impaired. The’ve lived there for 45 years. Mr. Monel has recalled that some of his favorite memories are going to the beach where he would fish and go crabbing with his friends. Before retiring, Mr. Monel used to work as a machinist repairing surgical instruments at a local hospital, and in his spare time would renovate homes in downtown Brooklyn. The Monel family has done much of the repairs in their home on their own when they can little by little.

Ms. Russo 

Ms. Russo, 79, has been staying with family in New Jersey since Hurricane Sandy. The storm flooded her first floor with nine feet of water. Ms. Russo has lived in Gerritsen Beach all her life and lived in her home since she was 12 years old. Her home was passed down from her mother, who purchased the home along with her father in 1945 from an English family.

Mr. and Mrs. McCauley

Mr. McCauley, 47,  had the home passed down to him from his parents, and lives there with his wife, 43, and their 9-year-old daughter. For two months after the storm, he and his family stayed in a shelter until they could find space with their relatives. Since then, they have been doing what they can with the repairs they need, but Mr. McCauley had to retire from the NYCTA in 2009 when he discovered he had eye cancer. His wife has been ill and out of work as an MTA bus driver since March 2012, but says she’ll return to work in a few weeks.  

Ms. Dowd 

Ms. Dowd, 48, lives at her home with her 13-year-old son. She has lived in her home for more than 16 years, but her family has been in Gerritsen Beach over 100 years. Ms. Dowd  said she could never see herself living anywhere else. Ms. Dowd and her son are currently staying with family and still have yet to move back into their home since the storm.

Dear Rebuilding Together Supporters,

On behalf of the Rebuilding Together Network, I would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to our families, friends, and neighbors experiencing devastating losses due to the tornadoes in Oklahoma and the recent and continued severe storms and flooding in the Midwest.

Rebuilding Together has been in communication with affiliate leaders from affected areas and assessing needs and capacity. We are also communicating with agencies such as NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), which is coordinating an effective and efficient response as part of the larger disaster recovery community.

Rebuilding Together recognizes the critical need to assist those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. As a national nonprofit working to provide safe and healthy housing for low-income homeowners, we know all too well that they are among the most vulnerable in times of disaster and have the most limited resources when it comes time to rebuild.

To be clear, Rebuilding Together is not a first responder organization. There are many other dedicated and hardworking organizations who are experts in addressing the immediate and short term needs of communities that have found themselves in harm’s way. We have joined with these organizations as a member of NVOAD to represent and address the long-term recovery needs faced by our homeowners and the communities where they live.

We will need your immediate and continuing support. We are accepting donations for our Disaster Recovery fund in anticipation of massive and ongoing rebuilding needs in Oklahoma. Community starts at home; please help us help others as they work to rebuild.

We also want to thank our many dedicated corporate and community partners, whose generosity supports our ability to serve all of our homeowners.

Please visit www.rebuildingtogether.org/disaster to learn more about how you can help.

Sincerely yours,

John L. Fiegel

Interim president & CEO

Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together Springfield galvanized 1,000 volunteers and repaired 25 homes in honor of National Rebuilding Day.

Colleen Loveless, the executive director of Rebuilding Together Springfield, did such an incredible community rebuild because she wanted to have a broader and more sustainable impact on Springfield’s Old Hill Neighborhood.

Old Hill is the poorest neighborhood in Massachusetts. Colleen said that a number of nonprofits have been building new homes in and around the neighborhood. However, Rebuilding Together Springfield wanted to revitalize Tyler Street in Old Hill to give back to the families that have been there for decades. “They needed critical repairs,” Colleen said. “We wanted to help these homeowners who have stuck it through here for all these years.”

Planning for this expansive project started last November. Rebuilding Together Springfield had some applications in, but they went door to door in Old Hill and attended community meetings to spread the word. People were skeptical at first. Colleen said the poor and elderly are especially vulnerable to fraud. Some homeowners saw the free repairs Rebuilding Together promised to provide as too good to be true. However, it didn’t take too long for the community to start backing Rebuilding Together Springfield in their efforts to revitalize Old Hill.

Usually, Rebuilding Together Springfield repairs about 15 homes with 500 volunteers for National Rebuilding Together all over the city on National Rebuilding Day. Now, they had 25 homes and 1,000 volunteers all on Tyler Street. “It’s pretty amazing work, and we got to see the totality of it and the impact.”

That impact wasn’t just reserved for the volunteers. TD Bank sponsored a block party cookout with live music. There were face painting stations set up for the neighborhood children. Middle schoolers made flower pots and planted them in gardens. Senior citizens manned the arts and crafts table where they made signs for the homeowners. 

The most difficult part for Colleen was making sure she had the right number of volunteers. As word spread, the momentum could hardly be stopped. More and more people donated and wanted to volunteer. Things originally thought impossible to do became a reality thanks to the new donors and volunteers. “It was a nice problem to have,” Colleen joked.

One homeowner that really touched Colleen was an elderly U.S. Marine veteran. He still works full time to support his wife who was diagnosed with cancer. She finished her last round of chemo therapy a week before National Rebuilding Day. One of their children volunteered that day as well. 

A volunteer who Colleen really appreciated was an elderly man who stopped by after lunch, because he knew a lot of morning volunteers would leave around that time. The Springfield man took a shuttle bus and rode his bike from the bus stop to volunteer for the event. Colleen said, “he did all the unglamorous volunteer work: cleaning up after the block party, lifting, trash removal.”

And all their effort went beyond just landscaping and painting. Rebuilding Together Springfield volunteers converted oil heating to natural gas, removed mold, installed ramps, repaired roofs, fixed plumbing, and weatherized homes. They truly revitalized a community.

On May 10th, Rebuilding Together New York City and Sears volunteers will repair three homes that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook. Here are the people they will be helping.

Mickey is the commander of the VFW Post 5195 in Red Hook. Mickey, born and raised in Brooklyn, is a Vietnam Army veteran, where he served 3 years and received a Bronze Star, Combat Infantry.

For 30 years, Mickey worked for his boss, the former commander of the local VFW. When he passed away in 2000, his family offered Mickey to purchase the house. Mickey bought the house and made all the renovations himself.

In November 2012, the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy caused the East River to rip through the Red Hook neighborhood, sending about 11 feet of water into Mickey’s home. Standing in a gutted home, with only floors now to stand on, Mickey is still in high spirits as he shared that Red Hook is a strong community that will return and rebuild. “I have never given up on this beautiful house and neighborhood, and I never will.”

Veronica comes from a family dedicated to public service that first came to live in Red Hook 70 years ago. When she was growing up, wonderful smells of homemade lasagna, baked ziti, and fresh bread filled the house as her mother prepared large meals every week for the local church congregation. Veronica’s father, always over-protective, worked in the neighborhood as the local mechanic. Upon her father’s passing in 2009, she took over the household, and spent much of her free time going through all the items her parents left, discovering photos and the history of her family in Red Hook.

During Hurricane Sandy, Veronica evacuated to a friend’s house, quickly returning the next day to inspect the damage the storm had caused. Due to the strong storm surge, water rose throughout the home to about 12 feet. Standing in the middle of her what was once her living room, Veronica says she feels that in many ways Sandy was a wake-up call for her. “I very much feel the presence of my mother and father within me, especially since the storm, that I not only will get through this, but I will continue to give back to my community as my family did. This is my home and it will continue to serve community as it has in the past.”

Mahmood was born in Pakistan, and moved to New York when he was a child with his family. His family first settled in Cobble Hill. As he began to build his skills in carpentry, he found that he could fix up a home for him and his family affordably in Red Hook. His family moved to Red Hook in 1984. Mahmood now lives in the home with his son Junior, who is also a carpenter, along with his 12-year-old grandson, Matthew.

Mahmood has since retired. He suffered back injuries over the years of hard physical labor. He starts every morning by sitting on his front stoop, greeting his neighbors, and occasionally goes for walks to visit his friends and family in the neighborhood. His son often helps provide for the household by working as the neighborhood handyman. Long before Hurricane Sandy, to assist with his living needs, Mahmood moved to the basement of his home where the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom were all on the first floor. It was easier for him to get in and out of the home without having to go up and down the stairs of his home.

Now, after experiencing 7 feet of water in the basement, Mahmood has lost his entire living space.

Rebuilding Together Alexandria helped Derrick and his family renovate their home in honor of National Rebuilding Day.

Derrick, a father of six kids, has lived in his home for 10 years. His youngest is 8 months and his oldest is 18. 

Derrick’s mobility is limited due to both his knees being operated on. The knee operations made it impossible for Derrick to continue working as a landscaper. When money started getting tight, Derrick began investing everything he could into what he saw as the most important thing in his life. His children.

Derrick’s love for his kids can be seen all around the house. His fridge is adorned with photos of his children, of their great grades, and their schedules. He said it’s important that his children feel like they have the best quality of life they can have. Sports equipment fills the house. Derrick saves it all just in case a little brother or sister has the urge to pick up a basketball.

If Derrick instills one thing in his children, it’ll be a love for learning. The family went 7 years without a TV, and the kids spent their free time reading. One of their living room walls is full of flyers from various colleges and universities. Derrick hopes it will inspire his kids to go to college. It’s apparently worked. His oldest is now studying architecture in Virginia. While volunteers were working on the family home, Derrick was quizzing one of his daughters on Roman history. He spent the night before helping one of his younger sons with a school report. 

While the kids were growing to be readers, athletes, and college students, their home was beginning to fall apart. Their roof would leak when it rained or the snow melted. The front storm door had no screen or glass, so the heat and cool air would escape the home. The water heater leaked constantly, forcing Derrick to mop the basement for hours a day. 

Derrick said it was hard for him to ask for help.”I had to swallow my pride. I’ve been working hard all my life.”

Rebuilding Together Alexandria volunteers replaced the broken water heater first. In fact, they did it within days of seeing the condition of Derrick’s old one. On National Rebuilding Day, volunteers repaired Derrick’s front and back porches, replaced the broken storm door, installed handrails, painted the interior walls, and patched the leaky roof.

Watching over a dozen volunteers repair his home, Derrick said, “It’s the best thing to happen. It’s a blessing.” 

This is a guest post by Stephanie Carvajal, AmeriCorps Member, Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade

The University of Scranton Women’s Crew Team, a group of 17 energetic and hard working women, packed into two fifteen passenger vans and made the 25 hour drive from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Miami, Florida to spend their Spring Break volunteering with the Miami-Dade affiliate of Rebuilding Together. The Women’s crew team has made it a team tradition to spend their spring break volunteering; each year dedicating their time to a different non-profit organization. In the past, the university would sponsor the team’s trip, but in recent years their funding has been cut, leaving the girls to fund the trip themselves. Through the generosity of Reverend Susan Keedy and the All Angels Episcopal Church in Miami Springs, FL, the team was given a place to stay free of charge. Once the team received the news that their housing would be taken care of, the team, armed with jars of peanut butter & jelly that had been donated by the university’s cafeteria, made their way down to Miami.

The team spent four days helping the Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade staff rehab two homes in the South Miami area. Both homes had interior renovations completed prior to the team’s arrival and were in need of exterior painting. The group did an excellent job on both homes with both family members and neighbors expressing how unrecognizable the homes looked. One homeowner, an elderly gentleman, who in recent years has suffered both a heart attack and stroke deeming him unable to walk on his own, asked his family to please help him outside of his home so he could see the work the team had done. The homeowner was so overjoyed with the work the team had done, he thanked each of the women individually.

 “Having the opportunity to work with Rebuilding Together has been a truly remarkable and heartwarming experience. The hard work we put in pays off when we see how grateful the people we help are and to be able to help others is wonderful. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend Spring Break any other way. This has been an amazing opportunity that has helped us grow as a team and has helped me grow as a person” – Jessica Peterson, Class of 2016.

Charity Navigator has awarded Rebuilding Together with a 4-star rating for the 9^th year in a row. This mark of distinction places us in the top one percent of organizations evaluated. You can visit Charity Navigator’s website to review our profile, learn more about their methodologies and see their tips on being a savvy donor.

What does this rating mean to you? Our 4-star rating means that you can trust Rebuilding Together to use our resources responsibly to provide extensive home rehabilitation and modification services to homeowners in need at no cost to those we serve. Our work positively impacts the condition of the surrounding community as well through community center rehabilitation, playground builds, and partnerships with organizations focused on energy efficiency, sustainable community gardens, volunteer engagement, and education. With the help of everyday citizen volunteers, skilled tradespeople, and the support of local business and major corporate partners, Rebuilding Together affiliates make life better for thousands of low-income homeowners every year.

Rebuilding Together’s 4-star rating from Charity Navigator also means that when you support us, you are supporting one of the best safe and healthy housing organizations in the United States. According to Charity Navigator’s rating chart, a 4-star rating means we are exceptional because we exceed industry standards and outperform most charities in our cause. Our network of almost 200 affiliated non-profits brings together 200,000 volunteers and completes nearly 10,000 projects each year. For every $1 donated to Rebuilding Together, $4 of value is delivered to our projects. Collectively that’s over $1.3 billion in market value reinvested to date into the communities we serve. We encourage you to visit our profile on Charity Navigator to learn about our great financial health, accountability and transparency.

“Rebuilding Together is honored to be included in the top 1 percent of charities that have received at least nine consecutive 4-star evaluations from Charity Navigator,” said John L. Fiegel, interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “This outstanding rating demonstrates our ability to serve the needs of low-income homeowners and communities in an efficient and cost effective manner and validates our mission to our donors, supporters, and our affiliates. We strive to be a fiscally responsible organization while increasing the capacity and outreach of our programs.”

There are currently 6,000 homeowners in need on the Rebuilding Together waiting list depending on supporters like you. We believe that everyone deserves to live in a safe and healthy home. If you agree and would like to join our efforts, please visit us online to offer your support, look up your local affiliate to volunteer on an upcoming project, engage with us on social media and more. Your support helps your neighbors near and far with free critical home repairs. Home by Home, Block by Block, entire communities are transformed with your support.

Mary Anne, 50, is a mother of two. She is also the proud grandmother of two children. She has lived in her family’s home for over 25 years.

Mary Anne has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. This Gig Harbor homeowner, who lives alone, would struggle to make it up and down the stairs every day due to her condition. Muscular dystrophy even made it difficult for Mary Anne to use her shower and bathroom. 

Rebuilding Together South Sound helped Mary Anne by making her home more accessible. An occupational therapist volunteered to help turn Mary Anne’s house into a safe and healthy home. They installed a transfer pole and a hand rail to help her with climbing steps. A grab bar was put in place by her toilet and shower so she could easily move around her bathroom. 

Rachel Lehr, Rebuilding Together’s South Sound’s AmeriCorps Year Round Coordinator, said Mary Anne was thrilled with her renovations, especially the transfer pole. “She said it was so beautiful. She was really excited about it because it made her safe at home.”

Mary Anne got along extremely well with her occupational therapist volunteer. “It was such a good match,” said Rachel. “It made sense to put them together. He was very respectful and he works with clients like this all the time. He knows the right questions and understands her situation. He could create solutions for her.”