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Yes, We Did!
January 19th marked the 15th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service, where individuals and organizations across the country volunteered to give back to their community. This year, Obama’s call to service got an enthusiastic response with over 13,000 service projects, making this the largest volunteer turn out ever. Kaiser Permanente was already in action. Kaiser Permanente employees and their families have participated in volunteer service projects nationwide on Martin Luther King Day for the last five years and have teamed up with Rebuilding Together affiliates across Northern California to rehabilitate houses for low-income homeowners and facilities serving low-income communities.
On MLK Day, over 150 Kaiser employees volunteered at two sites in the East Bay. Employees from the Kaiser Regional office helped restore the Alpha Omega Foundation in East Oakland, an organization that works to empower and support men and women who are transitioning to a healthier phase of life by providing safe housing, food and clothing, in addition to classes, workshops and support groups. In San Leandro, Kaiser Employees from the GSAA office worked to improve the Davis Street Family Resource Center which helps low-income residents in the Eden area and its surrounding communities to improve their quality of life through short and long-term assistance. They offer parenting education classes, support groups, mentoring programs, parent-and-child activities, after school programs, and food, clothing, medical and dental care.
The Alpha Omega work team was led by RTO’s Ed Leahy and Kaiser’s Robert Griffing, David Warmouth and Curshanda Cusseaux Woods. The team spent the day working hard to clean and paint two buildings. The carpet was replaced, a back porch rebuilt, a leaking tub repaired and other plumbing issues were addressed. They also landscaped around the two buildings, clearing the backyard play area, the front sidewalk area, and built a raised bed for a veggie garden in the front yard.
Over at the Davis Street Family Resource Center, Kaiser team leaders, Ros Harper and Ana Apodaca and RTO’s John Bongiovanni led the volunteer group in a large landscaping project. Kaiser volunteers removed weed barriers, turning soil, adding mulch, and planting new plants and vines. The concrete area was also power washed, the exterior walls and fence were painted and the gutters were repaired.
It was a successful day for everyone involved, and the weather was perfect. Thanks again to everyone who volunteered on their day off!
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2008 STORIES:
RTO and Lowe's Team Up to Install Two Ramps
With help from Lowe’s, Rebuilding Together Oakland was able to install two ramps in the homes of Oakland homeowners, Ollie, and married couple, Charles and Evelyn.
Charles and Evelyn bought their house 50 years ago in West Oakland. It has been a home to their two sons who now live in Sacramento. Charles was in construction until he retired in 1999 and Evelyn has been disabled since 1968 from problems with her ankle and leg. After her first surgery she was still able to get around independently, however after having hip surgery 3 years ago, which put her in a wheel chair, she could no longer get around on her own. In order to leave the house Charles had to lift his wife in her wheelchair down the front steps which had become a safety concern.
Once the boys moved out, the Smiths enjoyed spending time with each other outdoors, going to the lake and taking walks. Although Evelyn used to leave the house once a day, the problems with her stairs only allowed her to leave once or twice a week. The installation of a ramp allowed Evelyn to be independent and provided a safety precaution for Charles so he wouldn't have to risk injury by lifting his wife in her wheel chair.
Our other Lowe's ramp recipient, Ollie, is not only physically disabled but also has Diabetes, Arthritis, Asthma and Heart disease which made getting in and out of her home difficult, especially with steps leading up to her front door. She has lived in her home since 1956 and raised her five children there (she now has 13 grandchildren and six great grandchildren!) Her husband passed away about ten years ago and since then has had trouble keeping up the needed repairs of her home. She saw RTO working at a neighbor’s house and decided to give us a call. Ollie was thrilled to have the help and cannot wait to be able to get out of her house with ease.
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Makeover at Mary's House
October Block Building was a home makeover for Mary, who is disabled and needed extensive repairs done on her Elmhurst neighborhood home. House Captains Ed Leahy and Harris Miller led the team of volunteers to repair Mary’s home which was generously sponsored by Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.
Mary moved to her home with her husband in 1962. They raised three children together while both working full time. Her husband has since passed away and Mary had a heart attack about 10 years ago which significantly reduced her ability to get around. Mary’s daughter Erica lives with her and is her full time in-home care assistant.
Ed and Harris assembled a team of dedicated volunteers to work on the home. They painted the entire interior and exterior of the house and rebuilt the storage shed in the backyard. They also removed debris and trimmed trees and bushes around the entire property, and repaired the brick perimeter of her house. In addition, the team improved the energy efficiency in the home and replaced all the gutters, repaired the roof, window, a few pieces of furniture and replaced a non working stove and oven. With the installation of the new range, Mary can continue to cook for herself and be more independent. She remarked, “I’m so happy, I even got a self-cleaning oven!”
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Homeowner Joins Workday Volunteers
Volunteers from the LEO Center, the Skyline High School and house sponsor, ClearInk worked hard during October Block Building to repair the Elmhurst neighborhood home of Elaine.
Led by Clear Ink House Captains Jason Brown and Dan Lynch, the group worked for two Saturdays repairing the stucco exterior as well as painting the exterior of the home. They repaired the downspouts, scraped and repainted the front and rear porch, fixed the fence and removed debris from the site.
Although Elaine has a mild disability, she joined the volunteers and put in her own sweat equity on the workday, helping with minor repairs around the house and repairs to the wire fence surrounding her property. Elaine is community minded and has helped spread the word about our services by talking with her neighbors about her positive experiences with RTO. She was first introduced to RTO through our Safe-At-Home program which provides safety and accessibility modifications to low income elderly and disabled homeowners.
A letter from Elaine:
"Dear RTO Coordinators, Staff, Supporters and Volunteers,
To thank you adequetely is almost impossible. You gave so much of your personal time, your energy and yourself. Most of all, each task was done with a smile. You spent long, long hours, working on various projects, in and around my home. Thanks so much!
I am truly grateful for the great personal efforts that each of you expended. I still get so full and tearful (tears of joy) each time I enter and exit.
You have helped to make my home a prettier place, as well as, a safer place for me to live. You are now a part of a beautiful memory bank, and your deeds will never be forgotten.
Remember, it has been said, "the more we give, and the more we shall receive." So, my home for you will be, that your acts of graciousness and generosity will soon return, your way.
Again, thank you!
Sincerely,
Elaine
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Wachovia Volunteers Continue the Tradition with
Rebuilding Together OaklandWachovia is a generous supporter of the mission of Rebuilding Together Oakland, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner. The Wachovia team worked on the home of Doris, who was widowed at a young age and raised her two children alone. After the tragic loss of her sister, she took in her three nieces and nephews. The team was delighted to have the opportunity to make her home more comfortable for her.
"Rebuilding Together Day has been a long standing volunteer tradition, so we are thrilled that Wachovia's merger with World Savings has enabled this dedicated group of volunteers to continue this legacy," shared Michelle Gadker, the Senior Advisor of the new volunteer chapter. Andrea Ronzani and Reymundo Ocañas provided early leadership and support of the Rebuilding Day by attending our team leader meetings in the winter.
Michelle Gadker, Kristine Sandbach, James Deas and Andrea Ronzani served as the Volunteer Captains for the two-weekend house project in the Sobrante Park neighborhood in Oakland. They were joined by a mix of employees from the various lines of business now operating in Northern California, including James Reeve and his Business Performance team who chose the Rebuilding Together event as their quarterly teambuilding activity.
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Team Wachovia, including House Captains Harris Miller and Ed Leahy and Volunteer Coordinator, Andrea Ronzani |
A Chairlift For Harriet
When Cannon Constructors' Senior Superintendent Ken Kuhn asked, “What are you going to have us on work on this year?” team RTO knew just the house for the Cannon team. Although RTO shares office space with Cannon Constructors, who is building the impressive Cannery Lofts in West Oakland, we recently discovered the huge hearts of this stellar group of skilled volunteers.
Last year, Kuhn and his talented team transformed the home of Mrs. Crain and were featured in our RTO video which can be viewed on U-Tube. This year, RTO challenged Kuhn and his team to restore the crumbling home of Harriet, a wheelchair bound home owner in Oakland. Her disability kept her from leaving her home and she could only leave with the help of paramedics. Her concrete front steps were useless and the house could not accommodate a wheelchair ramp. In addition to the lack of accessibility, the roof had failed and most of the windows were inoperable and leaking, which caused major damage to her walls, ceiling and floors. The kitchen and bathroom were also in complete disrepair.
The Cannon team embarked on a multiple week project. They demolished and rebuilt the outside stairs so it could accommodate an electric chair lift that was funded by a grant from Lowe's. Harriet can now leave her home of her own accord. Cannon also repaired the walls and many of the windows. A team from Centimark Roofing donated materials and labor to replace the roof, and student service groups from Oakland Tech, U.C. Berkeley, and SF State helped remove quite a bit of debris and clutter from the home.
One again, Cannon Constructors stepped up to help us out on a “heavy” house. Thank you Ken, Laird and the rest of the Cannon team!
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Harriet sits in her electric chairlift, built by Cannon Constructors
Tom Judt – A Super Volunteer
Every year the staff and board of RTO hears about a project that elicits the collective response of “wow!” This year, with several hundred hours of volunteers’ commitment, dedication, hard work, like that of Tom Judt, General Contractor, RTO saved the house of a woman requiring a wheelchair whose house had fallen into such disrepair that it was condemned. A house requiring that much work is beyond the scope of what RTO and a group of volunteers can accomplish over a couple of Saturdays in April.
Over the course of three months, Tom volunteered over 200 hours of personal time transforming this condemned home to a place of safety, comfort and pride for the homeowner, Macheryl. To appreciate the full scope of this project, we have to rewind the tape back to January 2008 when board member David Brown assembled a team to tackle this house.
Before any hammer could strike a nail, a team from Morrison & Forrester provided pro-bono services to clear up legal issues around the property. Once that hurdle was cleared Gary Struthers, another long time RTO volunteer and licensed architect drew up plans needed for the building permit. With legal and regulatory obstacles cleared, Tom Judt stepped up to the plate and hit a major league home run for Macheryl. Tom and a group of volunteers jump-started the project by gutting the back end of the house, removing the damaged beams and wall sections and reframing it all in just 2 days. Tom also had the help of Ed Leahy, RTO lead volunteer for our Safe-At-Home program, who worked with him running copper pipe, new electrical wires, framing and installing drain pipes. He also had the volunteer hours and support of Pipe Spy, Berkeley Plastering and the good folks of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
When asked why he volunteers, Tom replied. “It’s what I do, help people fix their houses. Sometimes I get paid and that’s a good thing too. Honestly it really is important work, life changing for some people. I don’t mean to sound cliché but I really believe in what Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ That, and Robert Kennedy said something about ‘Each time a man does something good for others it sends out a tiny ripple of hope.’ Stuff like that really means something to me.”
Cheers to Tom and all the volunteers on Macheryl's house. You were more than a ripple of hope -- Macheryl said you saved her life!
Uber Volunteer Tom Judt
Skanska Rocks Harbor House
It was a made for TV complete makeover for Harbor House, a 100 yr. old Victorian home-turned community center, located in the diverse and vibrant San Antonio neighborhood in Oakland. The 85-member Skanska team, a hard-working group of employees, family and friends, the environmental engineers of Arcadis and the entire staff of the Harbor House, braved the heat to give Harbor House a miraculous transformation.
According to House Captain Bill Bunch, the Skanska team really enjoys working on community center projects. The Harbor House project tasks included prepping the exterior and interior for painting; removing debris and landscaping of the property; revamping the basketball court with new hoops and painting the lines on the court; building a new trash enclosure; enhancing the parking area; installing all exterior lights; installing new doors; and laying new carpeting.
No sweat for this team. They really know how to have a work party. The team took a relaxing lunch break, rocking out to the tunes of the Safety volunteer’s husband’s classic rock band.
The Harbor House started off nearly 35 years ago as one school teacher’s vision, a place for kids to come and be tutored after school. Since then, it has grown over the years to serve 100,000 people in spiritual, economic, and educational development. Harbor House says “Thank You Skanska Team…You Rock!”
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Volunteers from Skanska, Arcadis and the Harbor House |