Rebuilding Together to partner with Crate and Barrel

Celebrate Rebuilding Together's New Partnership with Crate and Barrel

On December 7, join Crate & Barrel in celebrating their brand's 50th Anniversary and highlighting their partnership with Rebuilding Together in stores nationwide. Crate & Barrel staffers will be in bright green, co-branded t-shirts. The Rebuilding Together brand will be featured in the Crate & Barrel holiday catalog sent to four million people. They will donate $5 from every online and in-store purchase, up to $250,000, to support national rebuilding efforts. Affiliate leaders, staff members and volunteers are encouraged to visit your local Crate & Barrel store.  We encourage you to stop by, say hello and congratulate your local Crate & Barrel store manager on 50 years and thank them for their generous support of this new relationship. Let them know about your affiliate's impact in your community and wear your Rebuilding Together gear too!  Share your Crate & Barrel experience through social media. Take a picture of yourself in Crate & Barrel, friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or simply post a status thanking them for their support. You can find your local Crate & Barrel here. If you have further questions please contact Becky Carter.

Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr selects Rebuilding Together Seattle as recipient of firm's 2012 Thanksgiving match program

Last month, Rebuilding Together Seattle (RTS) was contacted by Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr Law Firm (Seattle) with incredible news - RTS was chosen as the firm's recipient of their 2012 Thanksgiving match program!

After sending a customized holiday card to their community, Van Ness Feldman committed to matching all donations up to $250.00 from each of their contacts.   During the first two weeks of the campaign, Rebuilding Together Seattle has already received $2,350.00 worth of contributions from 15 individuals and businesses within the Van Ness Feldman Community!

"Our organization cannot me more grateful or excited for this special fundraising opportunity," said Margie Thirlby, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Seattle.  "Not only is it incredibly generous of Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr and their community to support us financially, but in selecting us as the recipient of their match program, they are introducing countless individuals and companies to RTS who can become further engaged with our programs."

RTS sends a big thanks to Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr for their generosity to our organization, and for their support of our vision of a safe and healthy home for every person.  RTS also sends a special thanks to Julie Brandsness, Jay Derr, and Matt de Ferranti (Rebuilding Together National) for their helping in making the event possible.

Stay tuned for future announcements of our fundraising totals, including recognition of the participating donors!

About Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr:
Founded in 1977 and now with over 100 professionals in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, WA, Van Ness Feldman provides strategic business advice, legislative and policy advocacy, legal and regulatory compliance counsel, representation in administrative proceedings and litigation, and support for project development, permitting, and transactions in the inter-related areas of energy, the environment, natural resources, public lands, real estate, health care, land use, and infrastructure.
Read more at: http://www.vnf.com/firm.html

Introducing an Exciting New Partnership with King County EMS!

Rebuilding Together Seattle is kicking off a brand new partnership with King County Emergency Medical Services' One Step Ahead Program!

King County EMS One Step Ahead Program installs grab bars for elderly homeowners who have fallen in their homes or who are at high risk of falling. The program obtains data from individuals who fell and called 911, which qualifies them for grab bar installation. We will team up with them by having two dedicated volunteers, Erika Maxx and James Fessler, install a small number of grab bars each month for qualified residents between South Shoreline and Tukwila.

We cannot wait to collaborate with King County Emergency Medical Services! With their partnership, RTS will create safer home environments for elderly Seattle residents and allow them to live in increased independence.

To learn more about Rebuilding Together Seattle, please visit our website at www.rtseattle.org.  You can learn more about the One Step Ahead Program, visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ems/community/OneStepAhead.aspx.  

RTS is able to repair three homes with the help of a Lowe's grant!

RTS recently received a $8,000 Energy Efficiency Grant from Lowe's to allow us to repair more Seattle-area homes. The money from this generous grant is to be divided among three home repair projects that emphasize energy efficiency to provide warm and safe places for homeowners to live!

First, BelRed Energy Solutions generously replaced the motor of local homeowner DeeDee's furnace. DeeDee is 81 years old and lives on her own in her Kenmore area home. Physical limitations due to age kept her from performing the repairs on her own, but with the finances from the Lowe's grant and the donation of labor from BelRed, DeeDee will be able to live in warmth and comfort with a working, energy efficient furnace.

Also, with the work of volunteers from the Washington chapter of NAIOP and the financial sponsorship of Lowe's, RTS will perform multiple safety-based repairs on Rainier Beach area resident Lynda's home. Lynda is an elderly woman who lives in her Rainier View area home on her own.  She suffered a stroke in 2010, which left her with only limited use of her left leg and arm and mild dementia. Due to Lynda's physical and financial limitations, she is unable to perform the repairs she needs on her own. On Friday, November 30th, the volunteers will be installing handrails at the entryway stairs, installing new linoleum flooring in the kitchen, replacing a toilet, providing weather stripping and a lock set at the west entryway, fixing a plumbing leak, replacing single pane windows with dual pane ones, and installing a new, energy efficient refrigerator.

This is the first time RTS will be collaborating with NAIOP, and we could not be more grateful for their partnership!

The final project the grant will be used for is the RTS Young Professionals Society (YPS) Service Day on Saturday, December 8th! For this project, YPS volunteers will be doing weatherization and energy efficiency-based repairs on the home of a family in Mountlake Terrace. Val and Ryan live with their 9 year old son, Kayden, and Ryan's parents, Debbie and Rick. Financial limitations have left them with little resources to do the necessary repairs on their own, but with the help of YPS and the Lowe's grant, their home will be a safe and comfortable place for this family to live. Volunteers will be replacing single pane windows, installing a new sliding door, performing interior and exterior weatherization and caulking, installing energy efficient light bulbs, and installing a new oven and stove.

To learn more about or get involved with the Young Professionals Society, visit http://rtseattle.org/yps.php.

Thank you, Lowe's, BelRed, NAIOP and YPS for helping to provide home repairs to these deserving homeowners! These homeowners will now live in more warmth, safety, and independence than they would otherwise be able to.

Veterans Work Through Wind & Rain to Build Ramp for Widow of Vet

This past Saturday, 5 volunteers turned out, bearing the wind and rain, to build a ramp and install grab bars for a 92 year-old widow of a WWII veteran. 3 of these volunteers were veterans themselves, which was very special to the homeowner, Elna.  Check out the article written about the project in the Mountlake Terrace News on Saturday!
         

Wes and Joshua talking to Elna about placing her grab bars

Wes & Doug installing the bar

Elna being interviewed by Teresa from Mountlake Terrace News Online

Stages of the ramp

RTS AmeriCorps Member, Jeni, getting in on the action

Elna stays dry and watches the volunteers from inside her home

Elna and her granddaughter, Sherri were very excited and grateful for the help they got from RTS!

Thanks volunteers!

RTS Veterans Program is making stops in West Seattle

The Veterans Program is continuing to grow and has been making some connections in the West Seattle area.  Last week RTS staff, along with RTS volunteer and veteran, Mike, attended the West Seattle VFW Post 2713 meeting.  We shared about the RTS Veterans Program and met some great veterans!  At that meeting, we were invited to do a presentation at the American Legion across the street the following week.

Last night, we gave that presentation at the American Legion Post 160.  We got to meet more awesome people at the American Legion and they are very excited about getting involved with our Veterans Program.

Claire and Jeni were even escorted to the stage by Sergeant-at-Arms Leroy Bernard, an Air Force, Korean War era Veteran.

 

We are looking forward to increasing our reach and serving more of those who so bravely served our country.  If you are interested in getting involved with the RTS Veterans Program, contact Jeni Goeke at jgoeke@rtseattle.org.

Veterans Serving Veterans Rebuilding Day at a Mountlake Terrace Home!

Veterans Serving Veterans Rebuilding Day

(photo from: https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/node/438)

On Saturday, November 17, volunteers will be completing safety-improving repairs at the home of Elna, an elderly widow of a veteran, in Mountlake Terrace.  

In honor of Veteran's Day, this project will be very veteran-focused: three of the project volunteers, Jeff McCoy, Mike Santopolo, and Doug Gray, are veterans themselves!
 
Elna is 92 years old and lives with her granddaughter, Sherri. Her husband, Charles, served in WWII for almost five years.  They wrote letters to each other every day and married immediately upon his return. Since Charles passed away in 1992, Elna has become less independent over the years due to physical disabilities. The repairs that will be done on the rebuilding day will allow her to move about her home more safely and independently. Sherri says of her grandmother, “She still has a vibrant mind; I know she still has quite a while to go and these repairs will make her life so much better.”
 
Volunteers will be building a ramp to make moving in and out of the house safer and easier, and installing grab bars in the bathrooms. They will also install physical therapy bars that will allow Sherri to accomplish her daily tasks despite her severe back and ankle injuries. 

Stay tuned for photos and updates!