Wells Fargo Interns Lend a Hand to Repair Tornado-Damaged Home

Volunteers from the Wells Fargo Talented Tenth Internship program joined Rebuilding Together Twin Cities on Friday, July 29th to make repairs for a single father of four young children whose home was damaged by the tornado that hit North Minneapolis.

Volunteers repaired and painted walls; removed an existing cracked walkway, re-graded and installed concrete pavers; repaired tile in the bathroom; and installed several railings, window screens and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  In addition to these repairs, the sponsorship grant from Wells Fargo also covered electrical repairs and upgrades and repairs to the roof.

We really enjoyed working with the Talented Tenth interns and other Wells Fargo volunteers!  Thank you for all of your hard work!

Ameriprise Financial Interns Make Repairs for Three Homeowners in Need

On Tuesday, July 26th, more than 40 volunteers from Ameriprise Financial’s internship program descended on the homes of three North Minneapolis homeowners to make repairs.  One of the homes repaired that day was damaged by the tornado that hit North Minneapolis in May.  Volunteers performed a variety of tasks including painting, repairing a water-damaged ceiling, finishing trim around doors and windows, landscaping to prevent water from seeping into the basement, repairing concrete steps, installing a paver walkway and making other minor repairs to these homes.

Thanks again to this incredible team!  We look forward to partnering with you again in the future!

 

Coming Together to Commemorate 9/11

This September marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a tragic day that affected countless individuals, families and communities.  In the aftermath of that terrible event, we witnessed neighbors reaching out to help one another, organizations and businesses supporting those in need, and volunteers providing hours upon hours of service.  In 2009, September 11th was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance to recognize the power of people coming together to help each other recover and rebuild.

To commemorate this anniversary, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and HandsOn Twin Cities are partnering to provide critical home repairs and services for 30 families in need, including several veterans and their families.  Together, we plan to engage 1,000 volunteers through this initiative, which will culminate in a large volunteer event on September 10th that will recognize fallen soldiers, veterans who have served and those who are still serving.

On Saturday, September 10th beginning at 9am at the Victory Memorial Flagpole at the intersection of Victory Memorial Drive and 45th Avenue North, volunteers will gather and listen to local dignitaries share about the importance of service. Immediately afterwards, volunteers will participate in various activities, including cleaning and polishing tribute markers along Victory Memorial Drive; beautifying Farview Park; planting trees and shrubs at Theodore Wirth Park; and speed volunteering opportunities at Folwell Park, such as drawing and writing on a Freedom Banner, sending electronic tributes to the troops, and writing letters to the troops.

Community members will be able to sign up on HandsOn Twin Cities’ project calendar beginning the week of August 22nd.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this event, which includes employee projects throughout August and September and thorough event recognition, please contact Kathy Greiner at k.greiner@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org.

Thank you to sponsors of projects connected with this event, including Ameriprise Financial, GLS Companies, Honeywell, Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation, Mosaic Company, Sears Heroes at Home, and Wells Fargo; and sponsors of the commemoration event, including the HandsOn Network, Best Buy, and Target.

Building a Healthy Neighborhood

On June 18th and 19th, as part of a special pre-conference event to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s National Healthy Homes Conference, Rebuilding Together led a major rebuilding effort in the Barnum neighborhood of Denver.  Hundreds of volunteers repaired more than 40 homes and Lowe’s and Carter’s Kids provided a new playground for a local park with HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse.  Other special guests included HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Director John Grant and Actress Amy Smart.  Click here to watch a video about this incredible project.

During the National Healthy Homes Conference in Denver, Rebuilding Together received a “Leading the Nation to Healthy Homes, Families and Communities” Award, presented by HUD.  Rebuilding Together was recognized as a leader in providing solutions and advancements to a safer and healthier way of life for thousands of homeowners across the country.