RTS welcomes Spring Intern, May Saetern!

Program & Development Intern, May Saetern

We are very excited to welcome new intern, May Saetern (senior at University of Washington), to the RTS team this spring! May began her internship on Tuesday--just in time to jump right in with the beginning stages of planning for Spring Rebuilding Day '13 (April 27th). We can already tell that May is going to be a tremendous asset these next few months!

ABOUT MAY

Q: Where do you go to school? What are you studying/thinking about majoring in? What are some of your hopes for future career aspirations?

I’m currently a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in International Studies. After graduation, I hope to work with an organization that works with refugees ranging from stages of pre-relocation to post-relocation.

Q: Why do you believe in the mission of Rebuilding Together Seattle?

By allowing volunteers to participate in various rebuilding and repairing projects locally, I believe RTS is creating closer communities and bringing all walks of life together through the promotion of living in a safe and warm home.

Q: What are you excited about the most in regard to your internship position with RTS?

I’m excited to work with the local community and to be a part of the help that is given to the people RTS serves.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself – what are some of your interests outside of school and work?

When I’m not studying or working, I like to read, play tennis, watch movies, and catch up on my favorite T.V. shows.

May at the Lantern Festival in Thailand!

Say hi to May!
msaetern@rtseattle.org

RTS Youth Program completes 1st Project!

RTS Youth Program had its first project of the year on February 23^rd. Three members from the program, Sophia, Quinn, and Kyle, led and participated in their very own project for homeowner, Vallerie, in the Rainier Valley area.  They organized a team of fourteen volunteers to help replace tiles and baseboards, paint the kitchen and ceiling, and do yard work. 

The whole crew with Valerie (left)

Great work, Youth Program!

Stay tuned for more before and after shots later in the week.

RTS Youth Program Makes a Comeback With First Project of the Year!

The RTS Youth Program (formerly RTS Youth Board) was revamped this fall with a new structure.  Under this new structure, one of the options for youth to get involved is by planning a project for a homeowner.  Three brave high school students stepped up to the challenge and hit the ground running planning a project for Vallerie in the Rainier Valley area.  The three leaders are: Quinn, Kyle and Sophia.  Quinn is a junior at O'Dea High School, Kyle is a junior at Kennedy High School and Sophia is a junior at Holy Names Academy.

These three members of the Youth Program have been hard at work planning the project that is taking place tomorrow, Feb. 23rd!  Among other things, Kyle, Quinn & Sophia will be leading volunteers in replacing tile, painting the kitchen, replacing broken window screens and doing yard work for Vallerie and her family.

The group planning the project at the RTS office

Stay tuned for photos after the project takes place this weekend!

Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013 Results!

The final numbers are in! 

We are pleased to announce that after our 14-day online Valentine's Day campaign, our supporters surpassed our 2013 goal of $3,500 to benefit homeowners in need!

2013 Campaign Stats:

Total funds raised: $3,665.00

Total donors: 58

Total donations: 94

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's campaign! Please stay tuned this spring for updates on the projects of our Hearts Rebuilding Homes recipients.

Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013 Donors:

Sami Pearlman

Lindsey Sargent

Noah Jolley

Kathy Slough

Candace Baer

David Kimelman

Christopher Daniels

Jenny Levesque

Margie Thirlby

Erin Scheopner

Matt MacQuivey

Paul Dwyer

Merrick Bodmer

Ali Feudo

Claire Oatey

Jenny Whelan

Valerie Gorder

Katie Herche

Courtney Sanford

Cameron Deamer-Phillips

Gayle Roberts

Jack Quigg

Nolan Bradbury

Michelle Roseborough

Anne Timmermans

Hadley Jensen

Gary Ballas

Kristin Miller

Pam Madden

Pat Thirlby

Debbie Oatey

Monica Berger

Tom Herche

Caitlin McHugh

Angie Ballas

Diane Holst

Arnie Mondloch

Mary Herche 

Kristen Thyng 

Russ Schutlz

Sarah Ihrie

Randy Rademaker

Renee Hartnett

Brenda Murphy

Carol Ravano

Arthur Fleming

Celeste Reilly

Andrea Anthony

Kari Koos

John Lee

Kyle Weeks

Brooke Sullivan

Kristine Kruger

Mary Weeks

Michelle Holst

Maizer Ouijdani

Cynthia Huffman

Jen Kagan

RTS thanks Sarah Ihrie for three years of service to our organization

In February 2010, Sarah Ihrie (pictured above, right) joined RTS as a Program & Development Intern, and quickly advanced to our Programs Manager role later that year.  This month Sarah will end her time at RTS, as her family transitions to Minnesota to pursue new opportunities.  In true RTS form, Sarah will celebrate her last day today with over 20 volunteer Project Leaders and the RTS Board and Staff to kick off our 23rd Annual Spring Rebuilding Day!

Thoughts on Sarah (by RTS Executive Director, Margie Thirlby)
"I have had the honor of working with Sarah during her entire time at RTS, and can't say how proud I am of her and all she's contributed to our organization.  When Sarah arrived at RTS, we had one main program and two employees.  Today, we have three thriving programs and an exceptional team at our office.  Sarah has played a key role in our growth, especially with helping develop and expand our Safe at Home Program (our year round maintenance program) and Programs Committee.  Last year, we were able to help 25 homeowners though Safe at Home, and this year we expect to assist 50!  Sarah has done an exceptional job managing our programs and bringing on new volunteers.  

What I will miss the most about Sarah is her level of determination and organization at RTS, along with her great spirit.  Sarah is highly motivated and efficient, and always keeps the momentum going at our office.  Most importantly, Sarah has a great sense of humor and makes our team laugh every day.  It will be sad not have her around every day when we have our challenging and entertaining moments - we will always think of her.  This week is one filled with mixed emotions for our team.  Seeing Sarah depart is going to be a difficult transition - however, we are all so excited for her and her family and the new opportunities ahead.  Sarah - thank you for all you have done for RTS, and for being the person you are.  We can't thank you enough!"

Feedback from Sarah about her time at RTS

"Although my family and I are excited about the next chapter in our lives, I am so sad to be leaving the RTS community.  I can't possibly list everything that I will miss about RTS.  One part of the job in particular that I will miss is the challenge that I felt with every new homeowner application - how can we best help this homeowner? What group or volunteer would be best to help them?  And, the excitement I feel when I  know I've made a perfect match between a volunteer and homeowner need.  It's truly exhilarating knowing that we have not only been able to help a homeowner but were also able to fulfill a volunteer's desire to help.  It's extremely rewarding when I hear from a volunteer how much they enjoyed the work they completed, and in turn hearing from the homeowner on how much they enjoyed meeting the volunteer(s).  I will miss all the volunteers I work with on a daily basis- I feel like they are all my colleagues and it will be just as hard to say goodbye to them as it will to Margie, Claire, Jeni, and the RTS Board.   Thank you all for your involvement with RTS, and be kind to my replacement - he or she has a lot of crazy-Sarah-methods to wade through!"

Thank you, Sarah!  You will be missed!

It's not too late to participate in Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013!

We are SO CLOSE to reaching our goal! It's not too late to participate. Make a donation today or tomorrow and we'll send your Valentine an electronic greeting. 

http://rtseattle.org/hearts_rebuilding_homes.php

The current tally is $3,250. Can you help us reach our goal of $3,500 by Valentine's Day?

Read about the four families on our waiting list who need your help here.

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED SO FAR:

Sami Pearlman

Lindsey Sargent

Noah Jolley

Kathy Slough

Candace Baer

David Kimelman

Christopher Daniels

Jenny Levesque

Margie Thirlby

Erin Scheopner

Matt MacQuivey

Paul Dwyer

Merrick Bodmer

Ali Feudo

Claire Oatey

Jenny Whelan

Valerie Gorder

Katie Herche

Courtney Sanford

Cameron Deamer-Phillips

Gayle Roberts

Jack Quigg

Nolan Bradbury

Michelle Roseborough

Anne Timmermans

Hadley Jensen

Gary Ballas

Kristin Miller

Pam Madden

Pat Thirlby

Debbie Oatey

Monica Berger

Tom Herche

Caitlin McHugh

Angie Ballas

Diane Holst

Arnie Mondloch

Mary Herche 

Kristen Thyng 

Russ Schutlz

Sarah Ihrie

Randy Rademaker

Renee Hartnett

Brenda Murphy

Carol Ravano

Arthur Fleming

Celeste Reiley

Andrea Anthony

Kari Koos

John Lee

Kyle Weeks

Brooke Sullivan

Kristine Kruger

Kickoff to Rebuild 2013!

Kickoff to Rebuild 2013: New Orleans On February 1, 2013, players from the New Orleans Saints, Detroits Lions, and Denver Broncos joined Carter Oosterhouse, Latin Pop singer Stefani Vara, SkillsUSA LA students, the Robert Royal Foundation, Saintsations, government officials, media, the O. Perry Walker HS Brass Band and football team, and teams of tailgate chefs and others to welcome and work beside over 300 volunteers during Rebuilding Together's 18th Annual Super Bowl Sanctioned rebuilding project, Kickoff to Rebuild! Together, we rebuilt 10 homes, installed a new Carter's Kids playground, and brought together a community. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Lowe's and to all of our many partners, team members, volunteers, homeowners and visitors for making this an incredible day of service and celebration. To learn more, click here!

Highlights: Hundreds of volunteers repaired 10 homes in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. Algiers children can now play in a safe space thanks to the playground built by Carter's Kids and Lowe's. NFL players, elected officials, and local and national sponsors joined us to create safer and healthier homes. KTR 2013 featured our first annual Toolbelts+Tailgates competition. Tailgate chefs grilled up their best recipes for our volunteers in hopes of winning the Toolbelt+Tailgates Championship. Corporate Partners provided volunteers, donations, resources and more: Lowe's, CBRE, Kmart, HGTV, DIY, United Way's Hope for the Holidays. Community Partners included: Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Carter's Kids, The New Olreans Saints, Super Bowl XLVII New Orleans Host Committee, the City of New Orleans, the City Council of New Orleans, SkillsUSA Louisiana, NORDC, and Woolard Family Foundation. Special Guests Included: Robert Royal, NFL legend and founder of the Robert Royal Foundation Cameron Jordan, player for the New Orleans Saints Akiem Hicks, player for the New Orleans Saints Michael Higgins, player for the New Orleans Saints Junior Galette, player for the New Orleans Saints Isa Abdul-Quddus, player for the New Orleans Saints Chris Clark, player for the Denver Broncos Joique Bell, player for the Detroit Lions Carter Oosterhouse, Carter's Kids founder and HGTV star. Stefani Vara, pop star The Saintsations, New Orleans Saints Cheerleaders Joan Higginbotham and Elnora Swayne, Lowe's Kathleen Thompson, CBRE Steve Zimmer, United Way Jon Gant and Matt Ammon, HUD's Office of Healthy Homes. Larry Rabalais, SkillsUSA Lynda Wollard, Woolard Family Foundation New Orleans City Councilmembers Palmer and Clarke Joel Hamburg, TOY winner Mark and Theresa Clement, MyFixItUpLife Kickoff to Rebuild Media Coverage: WWLTV - NFL stars lead rebuilding effort in Algiers & 'Kickoff to Rebuild' target 10 homes and playground during Super Bowl NPR - Super Bowl Fans Leave Lasting Impressions The Times-Picayune - Rebuilding Together, Super Bowl Host Committee team up on NFL YET Center & Super Bowl 2013 rebuilds homes, revitalizes New Orleans neighborhood: Letter WWL AM - Todd and Deke speak with Robert Royal about the Super Bowl WDSU - Super Bowl service project fixes up homes on West Bank NewOrleansSaints.com - Six Saints pitch in for Rebuilding Together Event in Algiers Visit MyFixItUpLife to check out interviews with our sponsors Visit Our Photo Album and Highlights: Rebuilding Together's Facebook Page Rebuilding Together's Flickr Page

Thank you to our WEEK ONE Hearts Rebuilding Homes Donors!

One week down, one to go!

Today marks Day 7 of our Hearts Rebuilding Homes 14 Day Valentine’s Day Campaign! We are excited to report that after just one week of the campaign, RTS supporters have already raised over $1,600! However, we need YOUR help to meet our goal of $3,500 by Valentine's Day in order to help homeowners in need of essential repairs. That gives us 7 days to raise the remaining funds! To join our supporters in giving, please visit: http://rtseattle.org/hearts_rebuilding_homes.php.

To spread the word to your friends and families, invite them to the Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013 Facebook event.

RTS sends a BIG THANK YOU to those who have donated so far:

Sami Pearlman

Lindsey Sargent

Noah Jolley

Kathy Slough

Candace Baer

David Kimelman

Christopher Daniels

Jenny Levesque

Margie Thirlby

Erin Scheopner

Matt MacQuivey

Paul Dwyer

Merrick Bodmer

Ali Feudo

Claire Oatey

Jenny Whelan

Valerie Gorder

Katie Herche

Courtney Sanford

Cameron Deamer-Phillips

Gayle Roberts

Jack Quigg

Nolan Bradbury

Michelle Roseborough

Anne Timmermans

Hadley Jensen

Gary Ballas

Kristin Miller

Pam Madden

Pat Thirlby

Debbie Oatey

Monica Berger

Tom Herche

Caitlin McHugh

Angie Ballas

Diane Holst

Arnie Mondloch

Mary Herche 

Kristen Thyng 

Russ Schutlz
 

 Join others in giving the gift of a warm and safe home this Valentine's Day.

 

Volunteer of the Month: Kara Eberle

Kara Eberle (right) pictured with Sulley (left)

The RTS office would like to recognize Kara Eberle as our outstanding volunteer for the month of February! Rebuilding Together Seattle works with volunteers who lend us a whole variety of skills, not just carpentry or plumbing. Along with volunteering on Rebuilding Days, Kara wanted to donate her marketing skills as a professional volunteer. Kara has been working dilignently on updating our tri-fold brochure which we use for potentional clients, volunteers, donors, and sponsors. She also joined our brand new Marketing Committee and attended our first meeting on Monday, February 4th. We are so appreciate of Kara's hard work and willingness to go the extra mile for our organization!

 Let's hear from Kara:

1) How did you get involved with RTS?

My professor at the University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture introduced me to RT down in Tucson, AZ. He sponsored and organized a rebuilding day for a local homeowner and asked his students to volunteer their time to assist a family that was financially struggling with making necessary home repairs. It was a great experience and we were able to use the skills we had learned in college to improve their living conditions.

2) What do you enjoy most about working with our organization?

 I really enjoy being able to use the skills I learned in college and my career as an architect (still in training), to positively affect the lives of others. I especially enjoy being able to meet the homeowners and understand first hand how my donated time improve and enriches their lives.

3) What do other volunteers say about RTS?

All the volunteers I have spoken with say that working with RTS it is not only fulfilling...but fun too!

4) Why do they want to volunteer their time?

RTS makes a strong, personal connection with the people they help. I think that volunteers appreciate that they can directly see how their volunteer time and donations positively improve the lives of others.

5) What about RTS' mission are you most drawn to?

RTS strives to provide safe and healthy living conditions to everyone and therefore their mission provides local homeowners one of the most essential building blocks for a healthy, happy and positive lifestyle. The RTS mission truly helps individuals help themselves and it is a gift of time and effort that keeps on giving long after the volunteer time is donated.

THANK YOU, KARA!

Are you interested in getting involved with the RTS Marketing Committee? Email Claire at coatey@rtseattle.org to learn more.

Announcing our first 14 Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013 donors!

RTS would like to thank the FIRST 14 DONORS for giving the gift of a safe and healthy home to a homeowner in need this Valentine's Day.

To join these supporters in giving, please visit: http://rtseattle.org/hearts_rebuilding_homes.php

Hearts Rebuilding Homes- First 14 donors!

1. Sami Pearlman

2. Lindsey Sargent

3. Noah Jolley

4. Kathy Slough

5. Candace Baer

6. David Kimelman

7. Christopher Daniels

8. Jenny Levesque

9. Margie Thirlby

10. Erin Scheopner

11. Matt MacQuivey

12. Paul Dwyer

13. Merrick Bodmer

14. Ali Feudo

There are 10 more days to participate in this year's Hearts Rebuilding Homes online campaign. Give the gift of a warm and safe home to a homeowner in need this Valentine's Day!

Day 1 of Hearts Rebuilding Homes 2013

 February 1st marks the first day of our 14-day online Valentine's Day Campaign:

Hearts Rebuilding Homes! 

Starting today (through February 14th) you can make a donation to Rebuilding Together Seattle in honor of your loved one(s). In return, RTS will mail your Valentine a special card notifying him/her of your donation!

Here are four families on our waiting list who need your support this Valentine's Day:

Jessica is a young single mother of an 8 year old and an infant living in White Center. Jessica’s family is in need of new front steps and a ramp, new bathroom flooring, and a new faucet.

Thomas and Janet are an elderly couple living in West Seattle. Thomas is in a wheelchair and they need their ramp updated to address rot, new kitchen flooring, clutter removal, yard work, and a new stove.

Yuk-Sung is an elderly widow of a veteran living in North Beacon Hill. Yuk-Sung desperately needs a new stove.

Earline is 80 years old and disabled, living in Rainier Beach. She requires grab bars in her bathroom and needs help with plumbing leaks throughout her home.

How to make a Hearts Rebuilding Homes donation:
1. You may make a donation online by visiting our Hearts Rebuilding Homes page, OR
2. You may mail a check (made out to "Rebuilding Together Seattle") to the RTS Office at 811 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109. Please remember to mail or email RTS your Valentine's first and last name and mailing address!

Give the gift of a warm and safe home to a homeowner in need TODAY!


Questions?
Please visit: http://rtseattle.org/hearts_rebuilding_homes.php
or email coatey@rtseattle.org.

Thank you for your support!

Please note: RTS encourages everyone to make their donations by February 11th in order to ensure that your Valentine gets his/her card or e-greeting in time!