Every so often, RTS does a shout out to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond and has been especially helpful to our office and programs. From now on this post will appear as the "Volunteer of the Month" and will be up the first Wednesday of every month!
This month, RTS is highlighting
Sean Kennedy, who works for
McKinstry and is a member of both the
RTS Site Preview team and the
RTS Year-Round Program team. He has been an outstanding asset to RTS and is always willing to help out.
We asked Sean a few questions about his involvement with Rebuilding Together Seattle:
1. Why did you choose to get involved with RTS? How long have you been volunteering with RTS?
I have been with RTS since April of 2010. That is the first time I saw RTS in action. I went for a walk in my neighborhood one morning and I saw what seemed to be approximately 50 people working on an elderly lady’s home in my neighborhood. There were people painting, fixing doors, replacing hand railings, removing clutter, landscaping, etc. It looked like one of those home makeover shows that you see on TV. What caught my attention was that there were so many people working there and they were really well organized. These people all helped to make both an immediate and lasting impact on the home and the neighborhood. When I saw all of the action going on I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of this. To this day I walk by the house and it still looks great!
2. What do you enjoy the most about working with our organization?
I enjoy working with the different people with all kinds of different backgrounds at RTS. Although sometimes our ideas or opinions may differ, at the end of the day we are all working towards a common goal which is to help out the person in need. I also like the fact that as a member of the site preview team we are the first ones in and we have the initial responsibility of making sure that the particular site we are visiting is part of the RTS mission and also that this needs to be a safe place for RTS to send volunteers to work.
3. What do your colleagues or other volunteers say about RTS? Why do they want to volunteer their time?
All of the other volunteers I have worked with seem to share the same attitude that I have. And that is we want to help make a positive impact for the homeowners that need assistance and also for the neighborhood that they live in. Improving the interior and exterior of a home as well as helping out a person in need is a positive and rewarding thing for everyone involved.
4. What about RTS’ mission are you most drawn to?
The thing I like the most is helping people that really need help. I especially like helping senior citizens. You learn so much from meeting all of the different homeowners and their families and you realize we are all the same and everyone needs a little help or support at some point in their life. That is why it is great that there are organizations like RTS that can help people and give them the boost they need.
5. Do you have any other comments you’d like to share at this time?
I am looking forward to continuing my work with RTS in this new year. I believe that regardless of your background, God has given all of us a special talent that we can help others with. Although my contribution is very small in the grand scheme of things I hope that in some way it helps make people’s lives a little better.
Thank You, Sean, for all your contributions
to RTS and homeowners in need!
To make a donation to Rebuilding Together Seattle in honor of
Candace (L) with fellow YPS Member, Erin Scheopner (R), on Spring Rebuilding Day 2010!
Alex busy at work at the YPS Rebuilding Day in August!
