Author: Rebuilding Together

AARP Oklahoma Presents Rebuilding Together OKC $80,000 Grant for Disaster Recovery

Posted on by Rebuilding Together
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Posted on 07/30/2013 by |

AARP Oklahoma today presented Rebuilding Together OKC an $80,000 grant to help low-income older Oklahomans whose homes were damaged by May tornadoes.

“We are appreciative of the outpouring of support by all those who donated to the AARP Oklahoma Disaster Relief Fund and are pleased that this money will directly help older Oklahomans,” said AARP Oklahoma State Director Sean Voskuhl. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with those affected by these devastating storms.”

“We will use AARP funds to help low-income elderly homeowners in the OKC area rebuild their homes after the disasters. We believe that a safe, warm and dry home is a critical building block for a healthy, rewarding life,” said Rebuilding Together OKC Executive Director Jennifer Thurman. “We want to thank AARP for helping these homeowners get their lives back.”

Rebuilding Together OKC, which serves low-income homeowners who are 55 or older, estimates it will spend half of the grant making roof repairs and the other half on repairs such as heating systems, flooring and walls. In addition to its greater Oklahoma City metro service area, the organization says it will work with Rebuilding Together Cleveland County on joint projects if funding permits.

Within hours of the May storms, AARP Foundation established an Oklahoma relief fund to support victims. AARP and AARP Foundation matched dollar-for-dollar contributions up to $300,000 resulting in a total of $673,000 raised from more than 6,000 people, Voskuhl said. All 11 organizations receiving grants have signed a letter of agreement and submitted a plan detailing how they will use funding to help storm victims. In addition, grantees have committed that 100% of funds will be used for direct assistance in Oklahoma and no portion will be used for administrative costs. Each organization will send a final report to AARP detailing the full expenditure of its grant money.

AARP is committed to helping those in need and continues to participate in long-term recovery committee meetings in Pottawatomie and Oklahoma/Cleveland counties, Voskuhl said. The association will be announcing additional local grants that will help tornado victims over the next several weeks.

Earlier this year, AARP Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to Rebuilding Together OKC that will be used as part of a pilot for its Safe at Home Program that provides aging-in-place services and home modifications.

– See more at: http://states.aarp.org/aarp-donation-to-rebuilding-together-okc-will-help-low-income-older-oklahomans-repair-homes-damaged-by-tornadoes/#sthash.lthV8QFD.dpuf

Board Chair Brad Segal Welcomes New Rebuilding Together President and CEO Charley Shimanski

Posted on by Rebuilding Together

Charley

Today, the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together announced that after an extensive nationwide search, it has elected Charles S. Shimanski as president and chief executive officer (CEO). Charley will join Rebuilding Together on August 26, 2013.

As president and CEO, Charley will have responsibility for the overall management of Rebuilding Together. He will be responsible for developing, establishing and implementing strategic goals for the organization moving forward and will be the key liaison to our nearly 200 affiliates across the nation, working with them to develop resources and services to help better serve our communities through safe and healthy housing. He also will serve as the primary spokesperson and national fundraiser for Rebuilding Together.

Charley’s strong experience and knowledge of nonprofits, fundraising, affiliate relationships, and disaster recovery will help guide Rebuilding Together to best serve our vision of a safe and healthy home for every person. He has the leadership and relationship-building skills necessary to engage with stakeholders to best steward the needs of our affiliate network and bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners in need.

Charley joins Rebuilding Together from the American Red Cross, where he has served since 2008. He worked at Red Cross national headquarters since 2010, most recently as a senior vice president of Development and as senior vice president of Disaster Services. Prior to that, Charley was CEO of the Red Cross regional office in Denver. During his tenure at the Red Cross, Charley created and implemented fundraising campaigns, led major disaster relief programs and worked closely with affiliate organizations.

Prior to the Red Cross, he was president and CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association from 2004-2008. From 1993-2004, Charley served as the executive director of The American Alpine Club in Colorado.

Charley is the author of several guidebooks on nonprofit excellence and individual giving. He served on the National Advisory Council for the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and on the National Advisory Council for the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University in 2011. Shimanski received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.

In addition to welcoming Charley, I also want to take a moment to thank John Fiegel for his service to Rebuilding Together. Since joining Rebuilding Together in January as the interim president and CEO, he has kept us focused on our mission and has provided wise counsel during a time of transition. We wish him the best going forward.

Brad Segal
Chairman of the Board
Rebuilding Together

July 30, 2013

Ms. Patsy

Posted on by Rebuilding Together

Patsy S.

Patsy was born into a family of musicians.  Learning to play the guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin as a child, she toured the U.S. making music with her father’s blue grass gospel band.  “We traveled all over the country and would camp out for days at a time,” Patsy described her adventures.  “Some nights I would only get a few hours of sleep because I spent all my time playing music with the best bands.”  Her favorite stop was The Sanders Family Bluegrass Festival in McAlister, Oklahoma.

Though some would call her a musician, Patsy refers to herself as a country girl.  Originally from Arkansas, Patsy moved with her family to Oklahoma after the depression.  Patsy, along with her three brothers and two sisters, was raised near Blackwell where her father took a job at a local gas plant.  In Oklahoma, Patsy experienced many firsts – she saw her first inside toilet and her first television in this new state.

Her father also instilled in her great work ethic.  “We worked to get what we wanted,” Pasty said.  “When I was 13, I wanted a car.  So I went to work for 30 cents an hour and saved $200 to buy my own car.  I was the only teen in Jr. High with a car.  Everyone was jealous.”

This hard working woman continued to provide for herself and her three children.  She worked in insurance writing health claims to support her family.  Fourteen years ago, she paid cash for her current Oklahoma City home.  Then, Patsy poured her hard work into remodeling the house.  She fixed it up to make it her very own.

Today Patsy lives on social security.  She was forced to retire due to her health and is not physically able to provide the remodels she once could.  Rebuilding Together has worked with Patsy this summer making the necessary repairs her home needs.  With the help of more volunteer teams, her home can become livable and comfortable once again.

Ramp Team Gets New Auger

Posted on by Rebuilding Together

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The Rebuilding Together OKC Ramp Team, also known as the A Team, builds one wheel chair ramp per week for an elderly client.  Our Ramp Team is composed of several retired handymen, who have a desire to make a difference in their community.  In the past, each week these men would rent equipment needed to construct wooden wheel chair ramps.  With the ability to complete that many projects in one year, the A Team worked more quickly than their budget allowed.

Tim Reardon, Rebuilding Together OKC’s Program Manager, sought additional ways to support the Ramp Team, so that they could continue their work.  This spring, Tim, along with members of the ramp building crew, drafted a list of needed tools and supplies used on a weekly basis by the Ramp Team.  This needs list was sent to local Lowe’s and Home Depot stores asking for donations.

Over the past several months, Lowe’s and Home Depot have come through for the Ramp Team donating various tools the team could cross off the list.  This week, the team had their biggest need met!  The A Team was given a brand new auger.  The auger purchase was made possible through a grant from the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma.  The auger is a drilling device used to dig large holes for setting ramp posts.  An auger, worth thousands of dollars, allows these handymen to work more efficiently when building ramps.  Our Ramp Team now has one of their very own!

Having an auger will save Rebuilding Together OKC hundreds of dollars each year.  “It will save us $56 for every ramp that we build,” said Tim.  This is money the Ramp Team previously used to rent an auger each week.  Now, this additional income can be used to meet more needs of low-income senior citizens.

Thank you Lowe’s and Home Depot for helping us keep our clients safe, warm and dry!

Watch the video below to learn more about the Ramp Team’s auger!

 

Winning Team Donates Prize at Golf Tournament

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On Monday, July 1, the four-player golf team from Southwest Trailers & Equipment placed first in Rebuilding Together OKC’s 18th Annual Golf Classic held at Gaillardia Country Club.  Though the team was awarded a $1,000 monetary prize, the players did not take home their winnings.  Instead the team, all members of the Dye family, graciously gave the money back to Rebuilding Together.  With this amount included, Rebuilding Together raised approximately $50,000 through the Golf Classic fundraiser this year.

Twenty-three teams participated in the 2013 Annual Golf Classic benefitting Rebuilding Together’s general program fund.  Program funding is used on a year-round basis to provide free home repairs and safety modifications for low-income senior citizens living the greater OKC area.  The winning teams of this year’s tournament included: third place Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, second place Wedel Rahill & Associates, and first place Southwest Trailers.

Sponsors for the Golf Classic included: AAAA Wrecker, Areawide Aging Agency, ATC Freightliner, Boldt Company, Butler Plumbing, Chesapeake, Claude Drabek, Clyde Riggs Construction, Communication Federal Credit Union, Cox Cable, EMCS, Harrison & Orr, John Vance Auto Group, Loves, Marco Capital, Mark Falk, Medley Turrentine Insurance, Metal Roof Contractors, Mutual Assurance Administrators, Osborne Electric, Peters & Chandler, P.C., RBC Bank, Simons Petroleum / Pilot Logistics Services, Southwest Trailers & Equipment, State Farm – Gary Baccus, T&W Tires, Tinker Federal Credit Union, United Petroleum Transportation, Wayne King, DDS, and Wedel Rahill & Associates, CPA’s, PLC.

Construction Derby Coming October 6 with New Features!

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The 2013 Construction Derby, which also happens to be the 10th Annual Construction Derby, will be held this year on October 6th!   Make sure to save the date for this exciting derby race in Oklahoma City!  Location to be determined.  Proceeds from the derby benefit Rebuilding Together OKC.

NEW to this year’s Construction Derby: Rebuilding Together will use a drag race style Christmas Tree lighting system at the starting line.  This “PortATree” staging will allow for more accurate competition!  You won’t want to miss the 10th Annual Construction Derby!

To stay updated on derby location and events, and to enter this year’s race, visit our Construction Derby webpage!