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.

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.

Posted 4 days ago
15 notes
Tagged: Rebuilding Together, Springfield, Massachusetts, Volunteers, renovations, home, community, cancer, RTNRM, .
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.

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.

Posted 1 week ago
Tagged: Rebuilding Together, Hurricane Sandy, natural disaster, New York City, volunteers, Sears, .
Kim is a single mother raising 3 kids and works full time in hospital administration. Her son Robert, 17, plays basketball and football at the same high school Kim and her father graduated from. Tyree, 17, is a friend of Robert who Kim took in. Omari, 8, is Kim’s nephew and he was adopted by Kim when he was only 2 days old.  Kim and her family live in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. Columbia City is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the Northwest in terms of income and ethnicity. The majority of the neighborhood is made up of single-family homes and some low-income apartments. The views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains have prompted the building of expensive new homes. Despite rapid gentrification, pockets of poverty still exist.  Rebuilding Together Seattle is working with Kim and her family to ensure they are living in a safe and healthy home. They endured Seattle’s winter without any heat due to not being able to afford oil for their furnace. Cold air would blow in from a detached window in the living room. Kim said that she hated seeing her boys have to do their homework with blankets wrapped around their shoulders.  Their kitchen needs extensive repairs. The family depends on a mini-fridge to store food due to their fridge being broken. Only two burners on their oven work. The sink constantly leaks, which makes the family have to empty a bucket of water into the tub regularly.  Rebuilding Together Seattle is currently working on their work scope for Kim’s home. They hope to replace the detached window, their fridge, the broken stove, and their basement door. They’d also like volunteers to fix a leaking faucet, repair the shower, install a new lock on the front door and porch light, and organize their basement with the help from the family. Claire Oatey, the program and development associate for Rebuilding Together Seattle, said Kim was very thankful to be chosen to receive free home repairs. “She isn’t concerned with how her home looks, only that is safe and warm for her kids.”

Kim is a single mother raising 3 kids and works full time in hospital administration. Her son Robert, 17, plays basketball and football at the same high school Kim and her father graduated from. Tyree, 17, is a friend of Robert who Kim took in. Omari, 8, is Kim’s nephew and he was adopted by Kim when he was only 2 days old. 

Kim and her family live in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. Columbia City is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the Northwest in terms of income and ethnicity. The majority of the neighborhood is made up of single-family homes and some low-income apartments. The views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains have prompted the building of expensive new homes. Despite rapid gentrification, pockets of poverty still exist. 

Rebuilding Together Seattle is working with Kim and her family to ensure they are living in a safe and healthy home. They endured Seattle’s winter without any heat due to not being able to afford oil for their furnace. Cold air would blow in from a detached window in the living room. Kim said that she hated seeing her boys have to do their homework with blankets wrapped around their shoulders. 

Their kitchen needs extensive repairs. The family depends on a mini-fridge to store food due to their fridge being broken. Only two burners on their oven work. The sink constantly leaks, which makes the family have to empty a bucket of water into the tub regularly. 

Rebuilding Together Seattle is currently working on their work scope for Kim’s home. They hope to replace the detached window, their fridge, the broken stove, and their basement door. They’d also like volunteers to fix a leaking faucet, repair the shower, install a new lock on the front door and porch light, and organize their basement with the help from the family.

Claire Oatey, the program and development associate for Rebuilding Together Seattle, said Kim was very thankful to be chosen to receive free home repairs. “She isn’t concerned with how her home looks, only that is safe and warm for her kids.”

Posted 1 month ago
Tagged: Seattle, Rebuilding Together, Family, Home repairs, Columbia City, Volunteers, poverty, .
Mr. Patterson, 65, is a retired carpenter and Vietnam War veteran living in Alexandria, Va. Due to being exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical made of herbicides used by the military in Vietnam to remove trees and vegetation, Mr. Patterson had to have both of his legs amputated. He now relies on his prosthetic legs to move around. Rebuilding Together Alexandria worked with Mr. Patterson to ensure that his home was safe, healthy, and accessible. Mr. Patterson has spent his entire life in this home. They noticed that his lawn needed landscaping, the energy inefficiency of his home was costing him extra money in energy bills, and that it was difficult for Mr. Patterson to safely navigate his home. The 20 volunteers that dedicated an entire day to renovating Mr. Patterson’s house wanted to give him a home where he could age in place and feel proud. The volunteers made energy efficient upgrades and renovations like cleaning out the coils under the refrigerator, sealing outlets, and weatherizing his windows and doors. While Mr. Patterson can still do many things on his own, he struggled with getting groceries from his car and into his home. Volunteers installed a gate on his porch closest to where Mr. Patterson parks. Now all he has to do is open the back door of his car, open the gate, and set the bags on the porch. Volunteers also installed a new wheel chair accessible ramp on Mr. Patterson’s back porch. Mr. Patterson is elated with how the energy efficient upgrades have lowered his bills. And he is even happier with how much easier he can move around his home. In fact, one of his favorite things to do now is to sit out on his new porches. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up in one single home, fear you won’t be able to remain there, and then receive repairs and renovations so that you can age there safely,” said Ali Feudo, the AmeriCorps Community Outreach Coordinator for Rebuilding Together Alexandria. “But John doesn’t have to imagine. He knows. And that makes me happy.”

Mr. Patterson, 65, is a retired carpenter and Vietnam War veteran living in Alexandria, Va. Due to being exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical made of herbicides used by the military in Vietnam to remove trees and vegetation, Mr. Patterson had to have both of his legs amputated. He now relies on his prosthetic legs to move around.

Rebuilding Together Alexandria worked with Mr. Patterson to ensure that his home was safe, healthy, and accessible. Mr. Patterson has spent his entire life in this home. They noticed that his lawn needed landscaping, the energy inefficiency of his home was costing him extra money in energy bills, and that it was difficult for Mr. Patterson to safely navigate his home.

The 20 volunteers that dedicated an entire day to renovating Mr. Patterson’s house wanted to give him a home where he could age in place and feel proud. The volunteers made energy efficient upgrades and renovations like cleaning out the coils under the refrigerator, sealing outlets, and weatherizing his windows and doors. While Mr. Patterson can still do many things on his own, he struggled with getting groceries from his car and into his home. Volunteers installed a gate on his porch closest to where Mr. Patterson parks. Now all he has to do is open the back door of his car, open the gate, and set the bags on the porch. Volunteers also installed a new wheel chair accessible ramp on Mr. Patterson’s back porch.

Mr. Patterson is elated with how the energy efficient upgrades have lowered his bills. And he is even happier with how much easier he can move around his home. In fact, one of his favorite things to do now is to sit out on his new porches.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up in one single home, fear you won’t be able to remain there, and then receive repairs and renovations so that you can age there safely,” said Ali Feudo, the AmeriCorps Community Outreach Coordinator for Rebuilding Together Alexandria. “But John doesn’t have to imagine. He knows. And that makes me happy.”

Posted 2 months ago
Tagged: Aging in Place, Veterans, Home Repairs, Rebuilding Together, Alexandria, Virginia, Volunteers, .
What makes you give back to your community? Here’s what some of our volunteers had to say about working with Rebuilding Together.  “The people are so appreciative. An old couple was almost in tears because someone helped and cared that much. Another woman kept watching and interacting with everyone. She saw her house transform in front of her eyes.” - Jim Kahle    “We have neighbors who need help and we can help them.” - Jerry Liu    “It takes a special mindset to see the value of doing something for the benefit of others.” - Earl Sires      “I think we all owe our community something. We live here, earn a living here, raise our families here. We all owe dues to our community.” - Jerry Liu    “God gave me the ability to put two feet on the floor, to swing a hammer, and people like Janelle can’t do that. Just because she can’t do it herself, doesn’t mean she can’t have it or doesn’t deserve it.” - John Gaspari  

What makes you give back to your community? Here’s what some of our volunteers had to say about working with Rebuilding Together. 

“The people are so appreciative. An old couple was almost in tears because someone helped and cared that much. Another woman kept watching and interacting with everyone. She saw her house transform in front of her eyes.” - Jim Kahle   

“We have neighbors who need help and we can help them.” - Jerry Liu   

“It takes a special mindset to see the value of doing something for the benefit of others.” - Earl Sires     

“I think we all owe our community something. We live here, earn a living here, raise our families here. We all owe dues to our community.” - Jerry Liu   

“God gave me the ability to put two feet on the floor, to swing a hammer, and people like Janelle can’t do that. Just because she can’t do it herself, doesn’t mean she can’t have it or doesn’t deserve it.” - John Gaspari  

Posted 2 months ago
3 notes
Tagged: Rebuilding Together, Volunteers, Volunteerism, Community, Doing good, Helping, Neighbors, Thanks, .