Wells Fargo Continues to Help Homeowners in Need

This month, we continued to partner with Wells Fargo to help several homeowners in need, including Bazilla in North Minneapolis.  Bazilla has limited mobility and needed her home to be modified so she can remain safely in her home. Volunteers from Wells Fargo reattached a porch that was falling away from the house and built elongated steps to improve Bazilla’s ability to come and go from her home safely.

We are very grateful to Wells Fargo for their continued commitment to supporting our work to ensure that low-income homeowners can remain in their own homes and neighborhoods!

Thanks To…

Catholic Heart – Volunteers painted a home that had been cited by the City; worked on the Saint Peter Community Garden; cleaned out a basement and did yard work for one of our homeowners; and reorganized our warehouse.

Ramp Team – Our incredible Ramp Team constructed two ramps, including one of the longest ramps we have built to date!

Saint Patrick’s Youth Group from Chicago – Volunteers worked on the Cambric Senior Living garden and helped with a substantial yard clean up project for a homeowner in need.

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!