Meet Our New Program Manager!

We are thrilled to introduce our new Home Repair Program Manger Ryan Thomas!

Ryan has owned his own business for several years and has a diverse background that includes project management, marketing, business development, sales and more! His past areas of experience include industrial hygiene, OSHA compliance, medical device manufacturing, asbestos inspection, lead-based paint inspection, and personnel management. He is a team player and skilled project manager.

Ryan and his wife Jennifer recently bought a home in St Paul.  Jennifer is a registered nurse and the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis. Ryan also enjoys volunteering, coaching wrestling, bicycling and exercising, listening to live music, and spending time with his dog Bodhi. We are excited to have Ryan on our team!

Thanks to Catholic Heart Workcamp!

Shout out to Catholic Heart Workcamp who spent a week volunteering with us!

We had 21 Catholic Heart Workcamp volunteers, some from as far as Washington State and Illinois. They worked with four different homeowners over four days, and tasks completed included exterior painting, landscaping, and installing an exterior handrail. We appreciate your hard work in helping our neighbors in need!

Big Thanks to Julia Isberner

Please join us as we thank Julia Isberner, our AmeriCorps Safe at Home Coordinator, who wrapped up her term of service this month.  Julia has been instrumental in helping our organization navigate the challenges of COVID-19, while continuing to provide older adults and individuals who live with a disability with the home modifications needed for them to live safely and independently in their own homes. She is a true team player and we will miss her! Julia is joining the team at Sightpath Medical, where she will work as their Operations Coordinator.  We are grateful for her hard work over the last year and wish her luck on her next adventure!

Meet the Quicksilvers Team!

We are excited to share that we have a new team who is regularly volunteering with us!  The Quicksilvers Team has been completing Safe at Home projects, including building ramps and installing handrails, and assisting with small home repair projects.  They completed their first ramp earlier this month, and it is gorgeous!

Craig Freeman, one of the Quicksilvers Team Leaders said, “Quicksilvers are a group of mostly retired people who have volunteered their time and skills toward Urban Homeworks’s mission for the past 16+ years. Urban Homeworks, based in North Minneapolis, is a nonprofit dedicated to elevating Twin Cities housing, which in turn elevates the community with stable abodes and leads to better education and less crime. In recent times, Urban Homeworks’s work model has shifted, allowing the Quicksilver group to expand their time to include Rebuilding Together Twin Cities. We built our first handicap ramp in July, with others planned in coming months. We’re very active in the Safe at Home program, making it possible for people to stay in their own homes rather than moving to assisted living or a nursing facility. Rebuilding Together fits with Quicksilver’s goal of improving lives.”

Teams like the Quicksilvers greatly increase our capacity to help our neighbors in need with repairs and accessibility modifications.  We are very grateful for their hard work and dedication!