On Saturday, April 24, National Rebuilding Day, nearly 1,000 local volunteers from Rebuilding Together Alexandria will renovate 60 Alexandria homes belonging to low-income residents, including the elderly, disabled, military veterans and families.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria will enrich the lives of many Alexandrians this month. Among the 90 homeowners who have already or will receive help are:
Mrs. L., a 95-year old woman and her 78-year-old daughter, have lived in their home for 60 years. Volunteers will build a wheelchair ramp to allow them to go in and out of their house without assistance from others. They will repair and paint damaged walls and ceilings, repair windows and doors, do plumbing work and much more!
Mr. and Mrs. H. have difficulty walking up and down steps and will have an interior stair lift installed and exterior steps rebuilt to ensure their safety. Volunteers will install a walk-in bathtub insert, grab bars, a new kitchen counter top, faucet and sink, light fixtures, paint, and make many more general repairs.
Mark Gustafson, Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton stated, “Booz Allen is excited to be supporting Rebuilding Together Alexandria again this year by providing multiple volunteer teams and the materials needed to repair and revitalize three homes on National Rebuilding Day. During this one day, our volunteers help make a significant difference in the quality of life for Alexandria low-income homeowners, and also have a great team-building experience.”
Rebuilding Together will also repair and renovate four homes of families of veterans in Alexandria. With funding through the Heroes at Home program sponsored by Sears Holdings Corporation, volunteers will work on the homes of four veterans from the Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II. The projects for these veterans include installing an interior stairway lift, handrails and grab bars, repairing a leaky roof, replacing a broken refrigerator and cracked bathtub, painting and other general home repairs. These projects are part of the Heroes at Homesm program funded by Sears and Kmart stores via a nationwide in-store fund-raising campaign. To date, Sears Holdings has raised nearly $9 million and completed over 500 projects for veteran homeowners and their families across the country.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria is one of 200 affiliates of Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable housing and homeownership. “National Rebuilding Day is our organization’s cornerstone event and one that highlights our extensive work year and the impact of the Rebuilding Together volunteers on communities nationwide,” said Gary Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together.
WHEN: April 24, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Rebuilding Together Alexandria will be working on projects from Old Towne to Del Ray to the West End. For locations of the Mayor’s appearance and homes being renovated throughout the City, please contact Katharine Medina, 703-626-2400 Cell.
WHO: RTA will join more than 200 Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide. Locally, RTA is supported by teams of community volunteers, local organizations, such as Alexandria Country Day School, Booz Allen Hamilton, Mirant Corporation, HDR, Freddie Mac, Honeywell, and others, and national sponsor Sears Holding Corporation.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria is an award winning non-profit organization dedicated to repairing and revitalizing homes for homeowners in need, including elderly, disabled, military veterans and families with children. Over the last 23 years, RTA has received help and donations from thousands of volunteers and groups to provide the free home repairs. To date, in-kind donations of labor and materials have resulted in $4.39 million worth of value for the residents of the City of Alexandria.
To learn more, go to www.rebuildingtogetheralex.org or call 703-836-1021.