The Sound You Never Want to Hear, But Are Grateful You Did

The piercing sound of your smoke detector goes off. Your bedroom is filling with smoke. You have two minutes to get out of your house before the smoke will impact your ability to breathe. Do you know how to exit your home? Do you have a working fire extinguisher within reach? Imagine the scenario without having a smoke detector.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities’ Safe at Home Program is designed to prevent falls and ensure the safety of homes of residents with disabilities, 55 years and older. One of the quickest modifications we perform to make a home safer is to ensure that there are enough working smoke detectors in a home. This year, we are partnering with the American Red Cross serving the Twin Cities Area’s “Home Fire Campaign,” which is providing ten-year smoke detectors and safety education material at no cost to help prepare homeowners in the event of a fire.

As an AmeriCorps Project Coordinator, I speak to many homeowners that haven’t updated their smoke detectors in years or are unable to change the batteries. Some have fire extinguishers that are 20 plus years old. This leaves many residents vulnerable in the event of a home fire. I encourage everyone to make sure that they have working smoke detectors, an accessible fire extinguisher, and an escape plan. As a former Conservation Corps member who served on fire base camps and a survivor of a workplace fire, I know how quickly you must react when dealing with fire at any size. Although, the sound of an alarm is jarring and still startles me to this day, I am grateful for that tiny, round device.

For more information on smoke detectors and fire safety, please visit:

http://www.redcross.org/local/mn/home-fire-campaign-new

Author Krista Yamashita is currently serving as an AmeriCorps CapacityCorps member with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities.

Reflections from AmeriCorps Member on MLK Week of Service

Every year, the CapacityCorps members from Rebuilding Together affiliates across the U.S. come together to serve in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. This year, Krista and I traveled to Lafayette, LA to help Rebuilding Together Acadiana make repairs on six homes in one of their target neighborhoods. The experience was an opportunity to bond with other AmeriCorps members and to learn about the importance of service within our communities.

On MLK day, January 18, 2016, I worked with 8 other Capacity Corps members, and 9 local AmeriCorps members from the University of Louisiana – Lafayette on a young woman’s home in the Monroe neighborhood. Together, we tore down rotten siding, scraped chipped paint, and began installing new flooring in the living room. Over the next three days, we replaced the siding, washed the house, painted the new siding and trim, installed flooring in two rooms, replaced the sink cabinet, added a new countertop, and painted the existing cabinets. Similar projects were completed on five neighboring homes. The week was an excellent experience and a welcomed break from the bitter Minnesota winter. For myself, I enjoyed spending time with my CapacityCorps peers and learning about their experiences with their affiliates, all while being able to serve the Acadiana community.

In addition to the physical work, we were visited by a number of different elected officials and community leaders to talk with about the importance of AmeriCorps and community service. During the day, Lieutenant Governor William Nungesser walked around the neighborhood and conversed with both CapacityCorps and Louisiana AmeriCorps members, thanking us for our service. Accompanying the Lt. Governor, Bill Basl, the Director of AmeriCorps, welcomed everyone to Louisiana and gave his appreciation for our hard work. It was very rewarding to receive this kind of recognition, and to see that we are supported for the work that we do. It put things in perspective for me as I am thankful for the pioneers of the CapacityCorps program and the opportunities they have provided to people across the country.

MLK Week 2016 was a great success. The CapacityCorps group is an exciting and diverse collection of people from all different kinds of backgrounds and stages in life. Not only was it a positive experience to work alongside them, but also to converse with on and off the worksite at meals and in hotel rooms. The week was a reflection of the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., as we engaged in great conversations and learned from each other’s experiences, all while coming together to work for the better of our community.

Author Ethan Boote is 2015-2016 CapacityCorps AmeriCorps Member serving with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities.

 

Welcome New AmeriCorps Members!

We are excited to welcome three new AmeriCorps members to the Rebuilding Together Twin Cities team: Ethan Boote, Molly Sir, and Krista Yamashita.

Ethan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from St. Olaf’s College this year.  He has a passion for community service and has volunteered his time in many capacities. Ethan has experience in architectural planning, interacting with people from a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and working as part of a team.

Molly is a recent graduate of Macalester College where she studied American Studies and Urban Studies. Her passion for social justice has led her to numerous organizations including interning at a non-profit criminal defense firm and facilitating a youth leadership after school program. Molly is currently a New Sector RISE Fellow, where her host project with us is complimented by a non-profit leadership curriculum.

Krista holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design from California State University.  She has extensive experience in coordinating events and customer service.  Krista also served with the California Conservation Corps in 2012.

Welcome Ethan, Molly and Krista!

This is the eighth 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, and the AmeriCorps program plays an important role in our ability to help low-income homeowners in our community.  Earlier this year, Congress proposed to cut funding for Corporation for National and Community Service by up to 34%. These bills would be devastating, eliminating tens of thousands of national service positions. House and Senate appropriators are currently making final decisions about the budget, and funding for national service is still in jeopardy. Please consider contacting your member of Congress and Senator Blunt, Chairman of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, who is a key decision-maker when it comes to national service funding at (202) 224-5721

Moving On: AmeriCorps Term of Service Ends

Over the last year, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities was fortunate to have Chris Lyle and Kyle Sharp serve as AmeriCorps Project Coordinators and Fitzie Heimdahl serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA with us.  Their terms of service ended last month, and we would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication.

Thank you to Chris, Kyle and Fitzie for your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm over the last year.  Best of luck with this next chapter of your lives!