National Rebuilding Day
National Rebuilding Day is the annual signature event of Rebuilding Together, the leading national nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership by bringing volunteers and communities together to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners.
Held on the last Saturday in April, National Rebuilding Day is the day when affiliates from all parts of the country plan projects to celebrate the organization’s mission and to bring national attention to the plight of America’s low-income homeowners and the communities in which they live. National Rebuilding Day is the culmination of a year of planning, evaluating, training, organizing, and mobilizing hundreds of thousands of community volunteers. It is embraced by community leaders and national corporate sponsors as a way of bringing immediate impact to America’s communities in a single day.
On National Rebuilding Day volunteers join local affiliate leaders to repair and restore houses and non-profit facilities, revitalizing entire communities and making a lasting impression on the families who are served. For many volunteers, it leaves them with the experiences of helping their neighbors in need, which brings them back year after year.
Projects for National Rebuilding Day 2010 - April 24 will take place across the country including...
Silver Spring, MD
Choice Hotels will be working with Rebuilding Together nationally for 13 projects in 2010 with five projects happening this National Rebuilding Day. Choice Hotels worked with Rebuilding Together in Miami this year for Kickoff to Rebuild and helped to repair seven homes in Coconut Grove, FL. Watch a video from Kickoff to Rebuild Now.
Pittsburgh, PA
As part of a national partnership with Cricket Communications, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh and Cricket volunteers from across the region are helping Raymond Boea make significant home repairs that he has been unable to make for himself. A Veteran of the U.S. Army and a champion weight lifter, Raymond met his most difficult physical challenge in 2006 when he suffered a severe stroke. Immobility, pain, and depression followed.
Raymond’s home of 25 years is receiving a new roof to stop considerable water damage, major electrical repairs so that all of his lights work again, new siding to replace the crumbling original wood, a new deck and landscaping in the backyard so that he can once again enjoy his outdoor space, and a fresh coat of paint in each room of the home.
Pittsburgh is one of 20 cities across the country to host volunteers from Cricket as they continue their commitment to National Rebuilding Day. As one of the largest supporters for Rebuilding Together in 2010, Cricket is donating one million dollars in cash to support home repair and community improvement service projects, product donations in the form of phones and service, broadband modems and service for local affiliates and homeowners for one year, and national and local advertising in the form of Public Service Announcements, valued at an estimated two million dollars
Lowell, MA
Rebuilding Together Lowell and long-time partner Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation will complete an extensive home renovation project to assist homeowner, Dulcelina, a single mother with three children: Katherine, 16, Laurie, 15, and son Antonio, 4. Antonio is autistic and needs a safe back yard to channel his energy. The back yard has an old trailer, abandoned swimming pool and incomplete fence. Flood-water damage, high energy costs and a broken furnace are additional concerns. Dulcelina works full-time but cannot afford the necessary repairs. Rebuilding Together Lowell and Lowe’s will create a safer and warmer home for the family. The Lowell project is one of 52 grants totaling $275,000, including additional grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation’s funding will provide much-needed renovations for low-income homeowners across the United States on or around National Rebuilding Day.
Houston, TX
Rebuilding Together Houston will be working with Sears via their Heroes at Home program to provide Sandra Hale of Spring, TX with home repairs and renovations. She served as an active duty Air Force in England during the Vietnam War. After serving her term of service in the Air Force, Hale joined the 4005th Army Reserve Hospital Unit out of Houston, TX. She was activated in 2006 at the age of 53 to serve a one-year combat tour with the Military Police Battalion in Bagram, Afghanistan.
Ms. Hale is a mother of three, grandmother of six, and great grandmother of two. In addition, she comes from a dedicated military family. Her parents were both active duty Army during WII, with her father serving in Germany and her mother serving in the Army Communications Corp. All four of her siblings and two of her siblings’ spouses serve in some branch of the military. Service has always been of the utmost importance to Ms. Hale and her family.
Over the course of her military career, Ms. Hale received many decorations, medals, badges, and citations. When she returned from Afghanistan in December 2007, she was suffering from service-connected disabilities. In her words, she has severe headaches, dizziness and difficulty breathing due to chemical exposure. She now lives off of her very limited disability income from the VA, and struggles daily to make ends meet. She has been unable for some time to make critical repairs to her home.
Rebuilding Together Houston will provide extensive repairs and modifications to the Hale home. Improvements include a new walk-in shower and accessible bathroom, repairs to the exterior of the home, energy efficient upgrades, new carpeting, painting, landscaping and decluttering, and an entire kitchen remodel.
Providence, RI
More than 80 associates from MetLife offices in Rhode Island will kick-off a new national partnership as they help Rebuilding Together Providence make essential improvements to the Rhode Island Veteran’s Access Center and the surrounding neighborhood. Volunteers are replacing moldy rugs and ceiling tiles, painting and cleaning, rebuilding the roof, making critical electrical repairs and rewiring, and completely rehabilitating a recently vacant transition apartment to make it available for a needy veteran and their family. In addition, teams will be impacting the entire block by painting the exterior of a nearby neighborhood elder’s home, cleaning empty lots, and planting flowers.
This project, and seven more like it across the country, represent the longstanding commitment of the MetLife Foundation to improving local communities. Rebuilding Together is a natural fit, as our efforts to promote affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization fall squarely in line with the foundation’s 34 year history.
Oakland, CA
Safeway is a new National Partner in 2010 and proudly hosts a Disability Awareness Month of Service in April. Ten Rebuilding Together affiliates will host a projects this Spring and for National Rebuilding Day Safeway will join our Oakland, CA affiliate, Rebuilding Together Oakland. They will work to repair the home of Mr. & Mrs. Gardner who are both disabled and unable to enter or exit their home of 60 years without the assistance of their adult child and great-grandson who live with them. The Gardner’s are both 83 years of age and live with an adult daughter who is developmentally delayed; their great grandson; and two dogs. Mr. Gardner is World War II Army veteran and Mrs. Gardner worked as an LVN for Alta Bates, a local hospital. Mrs. Gardner uses a wheelchair while Mr. Gardner has impaired mobility and is also recovering from hip replacement surgery. The Gardner’s take pride in that fact they were able to buy a home, raise their family of six children and contribute to their local community over the years. The project team will build a wheelchair ramp so they can reclaim their independence and enjoy their home in safety and comfort. The ramp will allow Eula Gardner access to her backyard which she has not had for many years. She once was an avid gardner and remarked that, “we will be able to enjoy our backyard once again and freely be able to come outside and enjoy the sunlight, peace and tranquility of our residence”. Both are now retired and living on a modest disability income. The support of the Safeway sponsorship will make the necessary modifications to their home so that they can live safe and comfortable.
Tampa Bay, FL
Honeywell is once again partnering with Rebuilding Together to serve low-income families and communities in 2010. On National Rebuilding Day alone, Honeywell is sponsoring projects in 12 cities across the country including Dallas, Albuquerque, Seattle, Tampa, and Tulsa. Honeywell’s support will help Rebuilding Together provided needed repairs and modifications to homes and nonprofit facilities throughout the county.
