Rebuilding Together Boston Provides a Beacon of Hope, Renovates and Preserves Affordable Housing on National Rebuilding Day, April 24th

BOSTON, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 550 skilled laborers and volunteers will engage in National Rebuilding Day renovation projects providing low-income homeowners -- and a local nonprofit high school that is relocating to Dorchester -- with critical repairs, modifications and energy efficient and safety upgrades at no cost to them. Rebuilding Together Boston (RTB) will hold its 19th annual National Rebuilding Day on April 24 to preserve affordable housing and homeownership, support the work of a local nonprofit, and revitalize neighborhoods in Boston.  Service recipients include low-income elderly citizens, the physically challenged, families with children.

"It is refreshing to see so many of our local employers join together to support our communities. We appreciate the work of Rebuilding Together Boston and all of the volunteers who are giving their time and their talent to help those in need," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino.  "Through the great work of these volunteers, Boston's neighborhoods can thrive and grow for our next generation of homeowners."  

On April 24, Rebuilding Together Boston will assist seven low-income homeowners and families and one nonprofit facility -- Cristo Rey Boston High School which is relocating to Savin Hill in Dorchester to better serve the growing needs of its multicultural students and their unique work study program.  Rebuilding Together Boston will undertake these projects with more than 550 volunteers from companies and organizations that include: Babson Capital Management, Booz Allen Hamilton, Fidelity Investments, Gilbane Building Company, Grand Circle Corporation, Jacobs Family Foundation, LPL Financial, MetLife, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Starbucks.

"This year, we are concentrating on preserving affordable housing for low-income homeowners in Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester," said Meredith Rosenberg, RT Boston's Board Chair. "We are particularly excited to be renovating the Cristo Rey High School in Savin Hill, Dorchester which encourages Boston's young people to move on to college. Rebuilding Together Boston appreciates the work of its skilled tradesman as well as the many volunteers who continue to give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of others, especially during these economically challenging times."

Some of the other projects being undertaken include:

• A single mother originally from Haiti who recently purchased a foreclosed home for her children.  The volunteers will paint, landscape, put new screen doors and update the electrical work, among other tasks.
• An elderly couple who have lived in their home for 40 years.  The husband is a veteran of the US Armed Forces and is now in a wheelchair.  Volunteer work will include updating the patio for wheelchairs, interior painting, and installing weather-stripping and other items to keep the home safe and comfortable.  
• The home of a single mother who is in need of a new bathroom floor, storm gutters, paint and landscaping.
• A single woman who has lived in Boston all of her life and since her retirement has had a tough time keeping up with the repairs on her home.  Rebuilding Together Boston will help her completely paint the interior and exterior of her home, give her a new kitchen with all new appliances, fix and install plumbing and improve the quality of her yard and landscaping.  

Rebuilding Together Boston volunteers will repair roofs; install new kitchens and baths; install energy efficient windows, doors and appliances; install safety-related items such as grab bars and locks; paint interiors and exteriors; and perform yard clean-ups and plant flowers and shrubs.

Rebuilding Together Boston (RTB) is the Boston chapter of a national service organization, Rebuilding Together (RT), the nation's leading non-profit working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities. RT will undertake National Rebuilding Day across the country.  RTB is joining more than 200 fellow RT affiliates and over 250,000 volunteers to rehabilitate and improve the homes of low-income Americans at no cost to them.  

"National Rebuilding Day is our organization's cornerstone event and one that highlights our extensive work year," said Gary Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "The affiliates' impact on communities nationwide defines our work ethic in neighborhoods across the country. This signature event emphasizes the widespread work we accomplish on one single day."

About Rebuilding Together Boston:

Rebuilding Together Boston is an affiliate of the nation's largest non-profit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing repair and renovation services at no cost to those in need. Through support from foundation, corporate and individual sponsors, local businesses, skilled labor, and the hands-on work of nearly 1,000 volunteers each year, Rebuilding Together Boston renovates and repairs homes and nonprofit facilities across the City.

The types of work that RTB undertakes includes: interior and exterior painting; roofing; installation of new gutters; landscaping; replacing windows, doors and rotten wood trim; kitchen and bath renovations and repairs, often with the provision of new and/or energy efficient appliances; safety upgrades such as grab bars, smoke detectors, CO2 detectors and locks; building handicapped ramps; and, energy efficient installations, among other projects.

To date, the organization has completed major (often top to bottom) repairs to over 260 homes and facilities across the City of Boston. The market value of the work to date is estimated at over $5 million since the organization's inception in 1991. For each dollar contributed, RTB leverages at least four dollars in donated labor, supplies and equipment.  More information is available at: www.rtboston.org

SOURCE Rebuilding Together Boston

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