Meet Galen

We are thrilled to share that Galen Kauffman has joined our team as the Program Manager for our Southwest Minnesota Region, which includes Cottonwood, Jackson, and Nobles Counties. Galen joins our team with more than 30 years of residential construction experience, including owning his own construction business which specialized in universal design and aging-in-place modifications; 35 years as a pastor; and 16 years as a municipal judge. Galen also holds a Master of Science in Education from Southwest Minnesota State University.  Please join us as we welcome Galen to the Rebuilding Together Team!

Republic Services Awards National Neighborhood Promise Grants

We are excited to be one of 11 organizations who were awarded a 2021 Neighborhood Promise Grant from the Republic Services Charitable Foundation!

These grants will provide funding for neighborhood revitalization projects across the country in communities where Republic Services customers and employees live and work. According to the Foundation’s news release, “The majority of this year’s projects support historically Black neighborhoods that have experienced disinvestment, and many of them address food insecurity and sustainability efforts.”  You can read the full release here.

The grant we received will be used to further the progress made by local leaders and residents to improve and beautify the Rondo Commemorative Plaza and Community Center in St. Paul.  We are grateful for the support of Republic Services as we honor the history of this place and community, while making the space more functional and welcoming.

Check out KSTP’s article about the grant awards here.

Register Today for our Hook, Line, & Shelter Fishing Tournament

We are hosting our first Hook, Line, & Shelter Fishing Tournament! This event will run from May 1st through Labor Day. Fishing participation requires registration, and the proceeds will support our efforts to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe and healthy place to call home!

The tournament is open to any skill level, including a category just for kids, and we have included a pricing package that will allow the whole family to participate. For those of you who are serious anglers, there is a category for you too! The tournament runs all summer long and is as easy as sign up, catch a fish, measure it, and share the results.

Get all the details and register at http://bit.ly/3ltUyoo.

Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor – 13 Fishing!

You can also follow the event for free on Facebook. We’ll be sharing photos and videos and updating the leaderboard throughout the tournament.

Volunteer Appreciation Month

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and we would like to take this opportunity to send a special thank you to all of our amazing volunteers.  While the COVID-19 pandemic has kept us from hosting large groups of community volunteers, we have continued to partner with volunteers on a limited basis. We are very grateful for the continued dedication and hard work of our ramp teams, office volunteers, Board members, committee members, and Chris Reiss, our volunteer Workforce Development Instructor.  We could not do what we do without all of you, and we look forward to being able to host volunteers on a larger scale again later this year!