Rebuilding Day in Worthington Was a Huge Success!

On September 9th, 35 volunteers came together to help three low-income homeowners in Worthington with much-needed repairs. The volunteers included seven members of the Worthington High School football team.

One of the homeowners we helped is an 82-year-old Air Force veteran, Dave, who lost his wife in June. Volunteers installed new doors and also placed a handrail in his bathroom to prevent falls.

We also helped Father Jim Callahan, who moved to town 14 years ago to serve as Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Our amazing volunteers replaced his deck.

Check out the news coverage about our Worthington Rebuilding Day:

Dakota News Now

The Globe

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and supported our Worthington Rebuilding Day!

Special thanks to our sponsors, including Wells Fargo and the Southwest Initiative Foundation. Additional support came from local businesses including Mike Woll Investments, Veterinary Medical Center, Johnson Builders & Realty, Hedeen Hughes & Wetering Law Firm, HyVee and First State Bank SW.

Wells Fargo Volunteers Give Back

We recently hosted 18 volunteers from Wells Fargo who put together 25 Safe at Home Kits. The kits include a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, no-slip bath treads, dawn to dusk lightbulbs and nightlights, grabbers, mini-flash light, batteries, kitchen fire extinguisher, reusable masks, sanitizing wipes, and an application for Safe at Home services. These kits provide an entry level of service for older adults who may be more difficult to serve either because of reluctance to ask for help, language or cultural barriers, concerns about COVID-19, etc. Our Safe at Home kits have a direct and immediate positive impact on the low-income older adults we serve. They also foster trust and raise awareness which lead many of the homeowners to ask for additional help needed to remain safely and independently in their own homes. We are very grateful to Wells Fargo for providing funding and volunteers to support this initiative!

Safe at Home Volunteers Help Homeowners Live More Independently and Safely

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities believes that everyone should have a safe and healthy home. Our Safe at Home volunteers work on projects focused on improving the accessibility of the home, so that the home’s residents can live more safely and independently.  For example, Safe at Home volunteers Sam and Liz recently helped us finish a handicap-accessible first-level bathroom in a South Minneapolis home. The homeowner was wheelchair bound and had to take sponge baths because she could not access the second-floor bathroom where the shower was located.  The addition of a downstairs bathroom increased the homeowner’s independence and greatly improved her quality of life.  We are grateful to all of our Safe at Home volunteers for helping to improve the independence and safety of the people we serve!

Thanks To…

Be the Tool – Thanks to the six Be the Tool volunteers who helped paint, install a bathroom vanity, patch foundation cracks with concrete, and finish steps.

Susan Sullivan – Thanks for your continued volunteerism with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities over the last few years on multiple homes. Susan comes to volunteer days with a positive, can-do attitude. She treats homeowners with respect and engages them in genuine conversations. She was a pleasure to have on site at Wells Fargo project in Saint Paul earlier this month.

Sano and Russell – Thanks to our recent homeowners Sano and Russell, daughter Jada, and friend Josh for being a tremendous help on the project site. You definitely went out of your way to help get the project done. Special thanks to Sano for making your famous jerk chicken for lunch and providing the volunteers with food on both days!