It’s our 20th Year Anniversary!

We are celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year! From now until the end of the year, we will be sharing memories, stories, facts, and much more. Since our founding in 1997, we have repaired 869 homes and 53 nonprofit centers with the help of 9,800 volunteers. We are proud of our work in the Twin Cities and look forward to building on this success in the future!

We are kicking off our highlights with this note from Paul Parrish, Past Rebuilding Together Twin Cities Board Chair (2005-2008) and long-time volunteer, as he looks back at the past 20 years of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities:

“One of the best things we ever did was hire Kathy Greiner. This was at a time when the Board was so small that the entire board fit at a six-seat table. Rebuilding Together Twin Cities was never an organization to stay in one spot, and over the years, each change of location was due to the growth driven by the energy, passion and involvement of the employees, donors and Board Members.

Over the years, major advancements included the endorsement and financial commitment of Honeywell Corporate at the National Conference in Washington, D.C. and recruitment and placement of Bart Foreman on the Rebuilding Together Twin Cities Board.

Historically, the path of involvement was hiring an Executive Director, board development, board leadership, our ‘Safe at Home’ launch, Advisory Board ramp program development, and finally, leadership effort with Honeywell retirees and friends.”

Rebuilding Together Connects Neighbors

We recently partnered with Cambric Senior Living Residents and other volunteers to create a garden for Cambric’s residents.

The project was initiated by Milan Mockovak, an avid gardener for over 60 years and resident of Cambric Senior Living, who sought permission from the City of Saint Paul to utilize a vacant lot for a gardening adventure. The City agreed, but with the caveat that there was to be no digging in the ground. That was fine with Milan because he and the group of potential gardeners from among the Cambric tenants are in agreement that they prefer raised beds. Not only do they offer a more comfortable height for gardening, but each bed can also be an individualized garden.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities partnered with several Cambric residents and the Saint Patrick’s Youth Group from Chicago to build raised garden beds, install hay bale gardens and complete some mulching projects around the facility.

Milan said of this project, “One of the reasons I wanted to build these gardens was that I wanted to get people out of their apartments and talking with each other.” He went on to say, “not only have I met other residents from Cambric who I have never met, but people from the neighborhood as well.”

We are proud that our efforts are connecting neighbors and fostering relationships in this community. Thank you to everyone who came together to make this project possible!

AmeriCorps and New Sector Alliance RISE Fellow’s Terms of Service Ending

Over the last year, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities was fortunate to have Jacob Ames and Steve Abrams serve as our AmeriCorps Project Coordinators and New Sector Alliance RISE Fellow Dan Frankenfeld serve as our Accessibility Coordinator. Their terms of service are ending soon, and we would like to thank them for their efforts.

Thank you to Jacob, Steve, and Dan for your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm over the last year. Best of luck with this next chapter of your lives!

MidCountry Bank Gives Back

This month, we partnered with volunteers from MidCountry Bank to help Katherine in North Minneapolis. Katherine keeps an immaculate home, but is in need of assistance with home maintenance so that her home does not fall into disrepair. Much of her fixed income goes to family medical bills, leaving little money for needed repairs. Volunteers from MidCountry Bank built a retaining wall and the new retaining wall is beautiful!

We are proud of our long-standing partnership with MidCountry Bank!