1,000 volunteers to restore 25 homes in one day

Monday April 21, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Margie Thirlby, (206) 992-5512
Website: www.rtseattle.org 

1,000 volunteers to restore 25 homes in one day

Rebuilding Together Seattle celebrates 24 years of free home repair services

SEATTLE – On Saturday, April 26, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Rebuilding Together Seattle (www.rtseattle.org) will celebrate its annual program event, Spring Rebuilding Day, where roughly 1,000 volunteers will restore 25 homes in one day at no cost to the individuals served, providing more than $500,000 in market value home improvement projects.  With a vision of a safe and healthy home for every person, Rebuilding Together Seattle provides low income homeowners and nonprofit facilities with free critical repairs, modifications, and energy-efficient upgrades. 

Spring Rebuilding Day, also known as National Rebuilding Day, is part of Rebuilding Together’s national effort to preserve affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods through renovation services.  Approximately 160 Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide will complete 3,000 projects on April 26^th with 50,000 volunteers.  Locally, Rebuilding Together Seattle has identified 25 homes in the greater Seattle area, where volunteers will perform a range of repairs to benefit the elderly, disabled, families with children, and veterans in need.

Top sponsor group, Stratos Product Development, will restore the home of Ernesto, a Polio survivor who lives with his wife, adult developmentally-disabled daughter, and high-school-age son (4427 S Graham St, Seattle, WA 98118). Ernesto is in a wheel chair but has been living without a ramp for the last few years, unable to get in and out of his home. Volunteers will be building a ramp and repairing the front porch, installing new kitchen appliances, patching their leaky roof and repairing past water damage, and removing graffiti from their front fence.

Top sponsor group, Greenpoint Technologies, will repair the home of Ruth, a 65-year-old recent widow of a veteran who lives alone in Rainier Beach (9274 52nd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118). Volunteers will repair her kitchen that was left in bad shape by a contractor, provide new appliances, replace broken windows, install grab bars in her bathroom, and help with general yard work and clean up.   

More than 50 local organizations and companies are participating through event sponsorships, in-kind donations, and volunteer support, including other top event sponsors: Wells Fargo, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Perkins Coie.

To get more information on Spring Rebuilding Day, including additional sites and addresses, please call the Rebuilding Together Seattle office  at 206 -682 -1231. This event will offer exceptional visuals and homeowner interviews; all media are encouraged to attend.  Best visiting hours for most sites are from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.  To discuss site locations, client stories, and media visits on April 26^th, please contact Rebuilding Together Seattle Executive Director, Margie Thirlby, at 206-992-5512 (cell).

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ABOUT REBUILDING TOGETHER SEATTLE

Rebuilding Together Seattle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to bring volunteers and communities together to help low income homeowners live in warmth, safety and independence.  Rebuilding Together Seattle was established in 1989 and is part of the national Rebuilding Together organization with approximately 168 affiliates nationwide.  To learn more about Rebuilding Together Seattle, please visit www.rtseattle.org or call 206-682-1231.

Spring Rebuilding Day volunteers from PEMCO busy at work (April 2013)