Welcome New AmeriCorps Members!

We are excited to welcome three new AmeriCorps members to the Rebuilding Together Twin Cities team: Christopher Lyle, Sabrina Moore, and Kyle Sharp.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Web and Multimedia Environments from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design last year.  He is skilled in both graphic design and videography and has extensive experience in working with people of a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Sabrina has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from California State University at Northridge.  Prior to joining our team, Sabrina served a year as the AmeriCorps Technology Coordinator for Saint Paul Public Housing.  She has experience in working with a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

Kyle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Politics, and Society and History from Drake University in Des Moines.  He has experience in working for nonprofit organizations, including Catholic Charities, and an interest in working on issues related to affordable housing and the challenges faced by low-income individuals and communities.

This is the seventh year that Rebuilding Together has been awarded an AmeriCorps grant through the Corporation for National and Community Service.  The goal of the AmeriCorps CapacityCorps program is to build the capacity of grassroots Rebuilding Together programs so they can be more sustainable, effective, and efficient in helping homeowners in need.  Welcome Chris, Sabrina and Kyle!

Wells Fargo Volunteers Make Health and Safety Repairs to Three Homes

Thanks to a generous grant from Wells Fargo, we were thrilled to be one of just eight Rebuilding Together affiliates to participate in the Healthy Housing Challenge this year, which focuses on making health and safety-related repairs for low-income homeowners.  On September 18th, we partnered with 45 volunteers from Wells Fargo to complete health and safety repairs at three homes across the Twin Cities.

We continued to make accessibility modifications to a donated Real Estate Owned (REO) in Columbia Heights. We are remodeling this home to make it completely handicap-accessible.  Wells Fargo volunteers repaired and stained the wheelchair ramp, installed window wells, finished interior demolition and framed interior walls to accommodate Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.  When the renovations to this home are completed, we will sell it to a low-income family, an individual living with disability, or an older adult looking to remain in their home for many years to come.

We also helped Ms. Priscilla in the Longfellow Neighborhood of Minneapolis. A long-time nurse at a local nursing home, Ms. Priscilla has lived in her Minneapolis home for 52 years. She raised three children there and currently has three grandchildren, who love coming over to sample her cookies and breads. Ms. Priscilla was recently cited by the city for a code violation with her garage and could not afford to fix the problem herself. The volunteers from Wells Fargo spent the day stripping the garage and re-painting it.

We were also able to repair the home of Mary and Charles, who have been married for over 38 years and have lived in their home in the Central/North End area of St. Paul since 1999. They raised their three sons there, one of whom passed away. Currently, they have one son and one grandson living with them. Unfortunately, due to Mary experiencing complications related to her diabetes and Charles suffering a massive stroke two years ago, they were forced into early retirement. Charles and Mary would like to enjoy this retirement in their beloved home, but health problems and limited finances prevent them from performing the necessary repairs and upkeep to do so. Volunteers from Wells Fargo replaced flooring in the kitchen, painted the kitchen and dining rooms, fixed up the mudroom, and weather-stripped the doors.

THANKS to Wells Fargo for your continued support of our efforts to help homeowners in need live in safe and healthy homes!

Today Is Falls Prevention Awareness Day

One in three Americans aged 65+ falls each year.

Every 15 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall.

Every 29 minutes, an older adult dies following a fall.

Together, we can help prevent older adults from falling in their homes.  Through our Safe at Home program, volunteers make accessibility modifications, such as installing grab bars and handrails, which the Centers for Disease Control recommends in order to reduce the risk of falls.  Last year, our incredible volunteers provided these modifications for 74 low-income homeowners.

We would like to recognize the core of our Safe at Home volunteer team: Wesley Anderson, Mariette Cole, Steve Ivancic, and Colin Levine-Horrigan.  Without the hard work of these dedicated volunteers, we would not be able to provide homeowners in need who are older adults or are living with a disability with the modifications they need to live independently and safely in their homes.

If you or someone you know might benefit from our Safe at Home program or if you would like to volunteer for this program, please contact us at SafeAtHome@RebuildingTogether-TwinCities.org or 651-776-4273.

Thanks To….

Collaborative Design Group – volunteers renovated the donated REO home in Columbia Heights on September 13th.

Ameriprise – four volunteers from long-time supporter Ameriprise provided ramp maintenance for a homeowner in need living with disability on August 28th.