Make a Difference. Serve a Year.

We are currently recruiting two AmeriCorps members to serve in the Twin Cities from August 2016 through July 2017 as part of the Rebuilding Together CapacityCorps program.  If you would like more information about this program, please visit: http://togetherwetransform.org/capacitycorps.  If you are interested in applying, please click here. The deadline to apply is May 6th.

More information about Rebuilding Together’s CapacityCorps Program:

Rebuilding Together’s National AmeriCorps program is called the Rebuilding Together CapacityCorps. We have 60 full-time AmeriCorps members serving in 28 affiliates in 20 states. Rebuilding Together CapacityCorps builds the capacity of grassroots Rebuilding Together programs so that they may be more sustainable, effective and efficient in helping additional low-income homeowners and communities in need. CapacityCorps members serve essential roles in building the capacity of their host site organizations in vital program areas such as: recruiting and managing volunteers, performing direct home repairs, outreaching to find homeowners to serve, building community partnerships and creating new programs.

iHeartVolunteers Make a Difference

We were thrilled to host a group of volunteers in partnership with iHeartVolunteers this month. Volunteers spent the day digging holes and laying a foundation for a deck at Charles and Yvonne’s home in Saint Paul.  Charles and Yvonne love their home, and the work the volunteers completed will help them to be more independent and safe.

What Is iHeartVolunteers?

We are volunteers! It’s what we do, but why? There are a number of reasons, such as, socialization, personal growth, stress reduction, a resume builder or to simply serve. Although we get a lot from volunteering, organizations and the individuals they serve are equally impacted by our service.

Volunteering for Rebuilding Together Twin Cities (RTTC) offers all of the above. The social aspect is covered; working with a team is a great way to bond and network. Personally, you can learn valuable skills that can be applied to everyday life, like installing kitchen appliances. Nothing reduces stress like upgrading a home; there is a lot of satisfaction that comes from repairing a wall or doing landscaping. Volunteerism always boosts the resume, being an RTTC volunteer will let employers know you are a team player that can get things done. To top it all off, RTTC service improves the lives of the people in our communities.

Volunteers are awesome. We realized this one day and set about to make the world a better place, a place where volunteers can meet other volunteers. We started iHeartVolunteers, the dating site for people who volunteer. We know a lot of couples that married after meeting as volunteers, in fact, it is a great place to do so, but it’s not always possible to make those connections on site while volunteering.

Have no fear, iHeartVolunteers is here to help. We want to make meeting other volunteers easy, fun, and charitable. We donate 10% of our profits back to our members’ organizations, and we verify that people have actually volunteered. Bringing great people together is our mission.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities is an amazing organization, and being an RTTC volunteer is a fulfilling experience. If you are looking to socialize, relieve some stress, or learn new skills RTTC is the place to do it. If you are looking to meet a partner that shares your core volunteer values, check out iHeartVolunteers. Sign up today and join our community of like-minded individuals!

Do good. Together.

Shelly & Chris Zenner, Co-founders, iHeartVolunteers

Staff and Volunteer Highlight: Silva and Ethan Helmer

Many of you may have already had the pleasure of meeting or speaking with Silva Helmer, who joined our staff as Office Manager in early 2015 and has quickly become an invaluable asset to the Rebuilding Together Team.  We have also been fortunate to have her teenage son, Ethan, work with us as a volunteer.  Ethan is passionate about robots and his team, the Como Cougears, recently competed at the 10,000 Lakes Regional with their robot BEASTBot.  Rebuilding Together is proud to support Ethan and his team and loaned some of our tools to the team.  Unfortunately, the team lost in a nail-biting tiebreaker round; however, BEASTBot’s Marketing Group took home the sought-after Entrepreneurship Award, and the team will advance to the State Tournament on May 21st at Williams Arena.  We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of Silva and Ethan and are proud to support this team! Congratulations!

The Opus Group Gives Back

On Friday, April 22nd, we partnered with volunteers from The Opus Group to provide repairs for three low-income homeowners and needed renovations to the Boys and Girls Club.

One of the homeowners we helped was Carter, who has lived in his home for 59 years. In 2008 while training for the World Masters Track Championship in Paris, Carter suffered a massive heart attack. It left him deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes. This caused significant motor impairments and speech difficulties. He now uses a rolling walker and has multiple grab bars placed throughout his home to ensure safety in areas where his rolling walker is not accessible. Carter gets out in the community whenever he can, and he looks forward to continuing to be active in his home and community. Volunteers worked on constructing a ramp, painted several rooms, and organized the basement. We also provided several contractor-delivered repairs to Carter’s home, including installing a new electrical box, mast, track/task lighting, motion light and flat surface non-open flame electric stove.

Volunteers also made repairs for Erskine and Beverly, who raised 13 children in their home.  Beverly and Erskine are retired, active in their church and frequently take care of their grandchildren.  They both have medical issues that prevent them from moving around easily, and their home needed several repairs and modifications so they can remain in their home for years to come. Volunteers worked to rebuild basement steps, build low-rise steps, paint the interior, seal the foundation, and clean-up vines in the gutters.  We were also able to repair plumbing at the home.

In addition, we helped Yvonne and Charles, who built their Saint Paul home in 1986. They love their home and are proud of the fact that they have made their own modifications. However, they needed help preparing for Yvonne’s mother, who will be moving into the home in the spring. Yvonne’s mother is an amputee and uses a motorized wheelchair. Volunteers worked to construct a wheelchair ramp, repair siding, and started to convert their tub into a walk-in shower.

Finally, volunteers provided needed renovations to the Boys and Girls Club, including painting the gym, redesigning and decorating the Discovery Room and recarpeting the Teen Room.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of The Opus Group and the hard work of their volunteers!  Together, we have made a meaningful difference for three families in need and the youth served by the Boys and Girls Club.