“Most Valuable Volunteer” Green Hammer Awards at GLS Companies Home Repair Project

We recently partnered with volunteers from GLS Companies to make repairs for a St. Paul homeowner named Kathy.  Kathy is the proud mother of five children – three in college and two who are still living at home.  As a single mother, Kathy was struggling to keep up with maintenance and repairs to her home.  The volunteers from GLS Companies replaced the front and rear doors, repaired and removed cabinets and installed flooring in the kitchen, repaired and painted walls throughout the home, removed carpeting in the living room, installed security lights, replaced the sink and toilet in the bathroom, replaced a window on the front porch, and made several other minor repairs and improvements.  The sponsorship from GLS Companies also covered the cost of having Kathy’s roof repaired.

Among the day’s highlights were the “Most Valuable Volunteer” Green Hammer Awards, which were presented to two outstanding volunteers from GLS – Jim Benedict and Dan “Dusty” Dustin.  Congratulations to both of you and thank you for your hard work!

Thanks to GLS Companies for providing the resources necessary to complete this project and to the awesome GLS volunteer team who worked incredibly hard to help Kathy and her family live more safely and comfortably in their home!

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities Partners with Two Local Companies

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities recently partnered with the Mosaic Company and GLS Companies to provide critical home repairs for two North Minneapolis homeowners.

On September 23rd, volunteers from the Mosaic Company descended on the home of Harry, who has lived in his home in the Willard-Hay neighborhood of Minneapolis for nearly 20 years.  Harry is a retired athletic equipment manager from the University of Minnesota, and he suffered a serious heart attack in 2009.  Volunteers painted the interior and exterior of the home, repaired cracks in the foundation, replaced the front door, repaired the plumbing and made other repairs to the home.  The sponsorship from the Mosaic Company will also cover the cost to replace the roof, and Standard Heating and Air Conditioning donated a new furnace.

Volunteers from GLS Companies repaired the home of Annette on September 24th.  Annette has lived in her North Minneapolis home for more than 30 years, and she is partially disabled due to a back injury.  Volunteers painted the interior of the home, re-graded to improve water drainage, replaced a hazardous walkway with pavers, and repaired and painted the deck.

This is the fourth year in a row that Rebuilding Together Twin Cities has partnered with the Mosaic Company and the first collaboration with GLS Companies.  We thank both companies for their commitment to helping homeowners in need live independently in homes that are safe and warm!

Remembering 9/11

On September 10th, more than 250 volunteers joined Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and HandsOn Twin Cities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Senator Amy Klobuchar spoke at the event, along with Brian Dunn, Best Buy CEO, and Kathleen West, civic leader.

Volunteers spent the morning cleaning and polishing tribute markers along Victory Memorial Drive; gardening at Loring Elementary School; planting trees and shrubs at Theodore Wirth Park; drawing and writing on a Freedom Banner; and writing letters to the troops.

The volunteer event on 9/10 was the culmination of a larger initiative by Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and HandsOn Twin Cities to engage 1,000 volunteers to provide critical home repairs and services for 30 families in need, including several veterans and their families.

Thanks again to everyone who was able to join us and a huge thank you to sponsors of projects connected with this event, including Ameriprise Financial, CB Richard Ellis, 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.

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.