Meet an Outstanding Volunteer!
John Solomon
John Solomon has been a House Captain with Rebuilding Together Oakland for 19 years. Temple Sinai, where he attends, started doing Rebuilding projects in 1994. The Rabbi at the time knew he had some building skills, and asked him to shepherd the new partnership along for at least two years. But John and Temple Sinai kept coming back, and every April, their hard work is a vital part of making Rebuilding Day a success!
"As any House Captain knows," John says, "It's a lot of work. It's a real commitment in terms of energy, time and money…But the rewards are so great that I keep coming back. Basically we're like these angels that are dropped into people's lives. We appear and do all this good work, and in a month, we're gone…I think we make such a difference in their lives, and it really has an impact on me, as a House Captain."
The most challenging project John ever took on was three years ago. "Everything was wrong with this house," he says. The homeowner's hot water heater was broken, the basement was flooded, the sewer was busted, the backyard was completely overgrown with blackberries, there was no bathroom sink, the plaster from the ceilings had collapsed due to roof leaks, the kitchen sink didn't work and there were no counters. "It was just one thing after the next," says John. "It was a real challenge and I think that was the hardest house we had, but we made the biggest difference there."
To aspiring House Captains: plan ahead! John recommends breaking down each task to the minutest detail, so that you can try to figure out in advance what problems might occur. "The more planning and prep you do, the easier the job will be," he says. "A good memory is getting everything loaded in my truck and driving away from a project each year."
When he's not working miracles for Rebuilding Together Oakland, John buys and remodels homes. He has also been in the restaurant and catering business since 1969, and is very involved in the Bay Area community at large. He says he would encourage anyone in the building trades to volunteer with Rebuilding Together Oakland, because "the rewards are fantastic, you really make a difference in people's lives. Most of us are busy with our jobs and families and don't find time to give back to the community. I think it's really important for all us to find time to contribute, to make the world a better place…and this is a wonderful opportunity to do it."
Rebuilding Together Oakland thanks you for your service, John! Our city is a better place because of your work.
"As any House Captain knows," John says, "It's a lot of work. It's a real commitment in terms of energy, time and money…But the rewards are so great that I keep coming back. Basically we're like these angels that are dropped into people's lives. We appear and do all this good work, and in a month, we're gone…I think we make such a difference in their lives, and it really has an impact on me, as a House Captain."
The most challenging project John ever took on was three years ago. "Everything was wrong with this house," he says. The homeowner's hot water heater was broken, the basement was flooded, the sewer was busted, the backyard was completely overgrown with blackberries, there was no bathroom sink, the plaster from the ceilings had collapsed due to roof leaks, the kitchen sink didn't work and there were no counters. "It was just one thing after the next," says John. "It was a real challenge and I think that was the hardest house we had, but we made the biggest difference there."
To aspiring House Captains: plan ahead! John recommends breaking down each task to the minutest detail, so that you can try to figure out in advance what problems might occur. "The more planning and prep you do, the easier the job will be," he says. "A good memory is getting everything loaded in my truck and driving away from a project each year."
When he's not working miracles for Rebuilding Together Oakland, John buys and remodels homes. He has also been in the restaurant and catering business since 1969, and is very involved in the Bay Area community at large. He says he would encourage anyone in the building trades to volunteer with Rebuilding Together Oakland, because "the rewards are fantastic, you really make a difference in people's lives. Most of us are busy with our jobs and families and don't find time to give back to the community. I think it's really important for all us to find time to contribute, to make the world a better place…and this is a wonderful opportunity to do it."
Rebuilding Together Oakland thanks you for your service, John! Our city is a better place because of your work.
