Home Preservation Workshops

On February 17th and 18th Wells Fargo is hosting Home Preservation Workshops in St. Paul at the River Center. Wells Fargo is holding an event for Homeowners with WELLS FARGO or WACHOVIA mortgages who are 60/90+ days late on their mortgages to give help solutions on the spot. The loss mitigation team, the servicers and mortgage teams will be there to help people. This is strictly an outreach effort to help people stay in their homes. These events have been held in Chicago, Baltimore, Phoenix and Atlanta with great success!

Any help you can provide to get the word out to the community would be helpful! Let's get the word out and help people stay in their homes!

Customers can register online at www.wfhmevents.com/leadingthewayhome or call in to 1-800-405-8067. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended. Parking will be free for those who register.Questions? Please contact Sandra Speed at (626) 399-3737.

Video Highlights from Kickoff to Rebuild in Miami

Rebuilding Together traded in the customary pre-game festivities during Super Bowl XLIV in Miami to join our Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade affiliate and over 300 volunteers for the 15th annual "Kickoff to Rebuild." This highly anticipated, NFL sanctioned charity event occurs every year in the host city of the Super Bowl and creates a lasting impact by revitalizing communities in need.

Tailgating of a different type occurred on February 4 as volunteers revitalized the historic neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Miami. Rebuilding Together's national partners for "Kickoff To Rebuild" included: Choice Hotels, Kmart, Bridgestone, Pepsi Bottling Group, and the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA).

We had our team of videographers and photographers on the ground capturing it all - See the video highlights, news clips, photos, and more at our website. Watch the video now!

Rebuilding Together Dallas

Mavericks Building Teamwork, Houses On Day Of Service

Mavs fix up houses on NBA's Day of Service

Volunteers: Brent Harting

Rebuilding Together Hebron

Woman helps repair New Orleans home

Rebuilding Together New Orleans

Alexandria family finds a home through Va.'s Neighborhood Stabilization Program

Rebuilding Together Alexandria

Giving Pre-Game a New Name...and an Impactful Purpose

Rebuilding Together Hosts 15th Annual NFL Sanctioned "Kickoff to Rebuild"

Title Sponsor Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels & "The Steve Harvey Morning Show" Join Forces With NFL Stars to Revitalize a Community and Celebrate Commitment to Giving Back

The national nonprofit Rebuilding Together will trade in the customary pre-game festivities during Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and join their Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade affiliate and over 300 volunteers for the 15th annual "Kickoff To Rebuild." This highly anticipated, NFL sanctioned charity event occurs every year in the host city of the Super Bowl and creates a lasting impact by revitalizing communities in need.

Tailgating of a different type will occur on February 4 as volunteers revitalize the historic neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Miami. Rebuilding Together's national partners for "Kickoff To Rebuild" include: Choice Hotels, Kmart, Bridgestone, Pepsi Bottling Group, and the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). They will be part of a 300 person volunteer team on this one impactful day. Local and national sponsors, celebrity guests, as well as current and former NFL players, will work together to rehabilitate 7 homes of low-income homeowners and revitalize historic Coconut Grove.

In addition to financial support and volunteerism, Rebuilding Together's partners are jumping in to make the event truly memorable: Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels is bringing the famous Steve Harvey Morning Show for a live broadcast; Kmart will be giving each of the 7 homeowners a gift certificate to Kmart for $1,000, and will be supplying all the appliances being installed that day; and the Pepsi Bottling Group will be providing all the beverages for volunteers.

The Steve Harvey Morning Show will broadcast live from the event site from 6-10 AM on center stage, and will be followed by a block party celebration from 10-2 PM which includes local entertainment and vendors. During this time Rebuilding Together will also collect financial donations for disaster relief in Haiti. The mass- volunteer effort will begin at 8:30 AM; led by former Miami Dolphin legend Dick Anderson and honorary Rebuilding Together house captains: former NFL kickers Bill and Martin Gramatica, Brandon Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, and other players. As honorary house captains, they put their teams to work providing home repairs, distributing homeowner resource kits, and providing clean up and landscaping.

Follow the event live on Twitter @RebldgTogthr or on Facebook at Facebook.com/rebuildingtogether.

Season's givers: Worcester

Rebuilding Together Worcester

Program helps to rebuild Springfield

Rebuilding Together Springfield

Volunteers give confined man new hope

Rebuilding Together Lynchburg

Westbrook gives back this holiday season

Rebuilding Together Philadelphia

Twin Cities celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Kare 11 talks about Dr. Maring Luther King Day.

Rebuilding Together Receives National Award

Rebuilding Together has been chosen to receive the Health Advocate Award given by the American Occupational Therapy Association. This award is presented to those who make extraordinary contributions to health promotion and health care on a national scale.

All awardees will be identified on the AOTA web site and in the November/December 2010 issue of The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. An awards ceremony will be held on May 1, 2010, in Orlando, Florida.

Rebuilding Together is honored to be presented with an award that recognizes its commitment to providing a safe and healthy lifestyle and home for those in need.

Honeywell Commits $1 Million In Cash For Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

From PR Newswire

Matches Employee Donations Dollar-for-Dollar; Makes Aircraft Available for On-Going Deliveries into Haiti

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced comprehensive plans to provide both immediate and long-term aid to Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

The company will commit $1 million in cash, including a 100% match of employee donations, to fund rebuilding projects in Haiti. Honeywell is also making its business jets available and has already provided airlift support to Operation USA to deliver 1,500 lbs. of medical supplies, including urgently-needed, high-value antibiotics, and transported Partners In Health medical staff to Port-au-Prince.

"In the hours immediately following the earthquake, Honeywell Hometown Solutions began work to deliver emergency medical supplies and transport medical staff to Haiti," said Honeywell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Cote. "The people of Haiti need the world's help to meet their immediate needs for food, water, and medical care, and to rebuild."

Through Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company will match employee contributions dollar-for-dollar. The company and employee contributions will be used to fund projects to begin the long process of rebuilding in Haiti. Honeywell is working with long-standing partners Operation USA and Rebuilding Together.

"We've reached out to our more than 120,000 employees globally who have been extremely generous in situations like this in the past," continued Cote. "The company has opened a website to facilitate employee donations and payroll deductions. Honeywell will also continue to support recovery and relief efforts with airlift support from Honeywell Aviation."

"With the commitment of our employees and partners globally and the company's contributions, Honeywell will play a vital role in bringing critical and timely assistance to the families of Haiti," concluded Cote.

Honeywell (www.honeywellnow.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

A Year in Review

Thank you again for making 2009 a huge success! This year, 547 volunteers dedicated 5,363 hours to help RTTC repair 19 homes and two non-profit facilities. We want to thank our volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to these projects.

We would also like to recognize our generous sponsors. Without your support, we would not be able to repair the homes of low-income homeowners, assuring that these individuals are able to live independently in homes that are safe, warm and dry. The following organizations provided support for RTTC this year:

Allegra Print & Imaging
Alliance Construction
Allianz
Ameriprise Financial
Anonymous (2)
Anthony Pontrelli
Bellacor.com
Bongard Corporation
Canterbury Park
Castle Building & Remodeling
Castle Custom Cabinets
City Cargo
Comcast Foundation
Customized Payroll Solutions
Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Services
Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
Family Housing Fund
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
Heroes at Home
Home Depot Foundation
Home Depot Framing Hope
Honeywell Volunteerism Committee
Honeywell
Kathryn Greiner
Lewke Tile & Stone
Lowe's
Mardag Foundation
Mariette Cole
Mary Cleary
Medtronic, Inc.
Mercury Mosaics
MidCountry Bank
Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation
Nemer Fieger
Northside Home Fund
Northwest Area Foundation
Olympia Electric
On-Site Sanitation
Otto Bremer Foundation
Pepsi Bottling Group
Pipeline Supply & Rohl
Richard A Newman Foundation
St. Paul Neighborhood Sales Tax Revitalization Program
Sarah Johnson
Select Surfaces
Serving Those Who Serve
Scaffold Service Inc.
Shaw Stewert Lumber
Sowles Co.
Standard Heating
Steve Frederickson
Sun Control of Minnesota
Swanson Hardware
Tee It Up For The Troops
The Mosaic Company
The St. Paul Foundation
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
U.S. Administration on Aging
U.S. Bank
Valspar
Wayzata Community Church
Wells Fargo Housing Foundation
William Keyes and Mary Davis

This was a year of tremendous growth for RTTC. Three AmeriCorps CapacityCorps members joined us in August. In July, we hired Dave Christensen as a Construction Manager. Sheila Terryll joined the team in November as RTTC's Development Director. We also launched a new program called Safe at Home that provides accessibility and safety modifications to low-income homeowners who are older adults or are living with a disability.

2010 promises to present new opportunities to serve the Twin Cities communities. Thank you again for your continued support of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities!

RTTC Gives Shining Star Award

RTTC recently awarded its Shining Star Volunteer Award to Mariette Cole. This award is given to a volunteer who has contributed extensively to the mission and work of RTTC and has become an invaluable member of the RTTC family. The volunteer recognized often serves in leadership capacities and/or as a spokesperson and advocate for the organization.

Mariette Cole, a retired educator who lives in St. Paul, began volunteering with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities in April 2008, working on the Victorian home of a widow with two small children. Since that time, Mariette has been involved in almost every project Rebuilding Together Twin Cities has done. She often takes on leadership roles and always makes an effort to make the homeowner feel comfortable and involved in the process. Mariette has also been heavily involved in both the outreach and implementation of RTTC's new Safe at Home program, which focuses on making accessibility modifications to the homes of low-income homeowners who are older adults or living with a disability. In addition to the hands on work, Mariette is a member of both Rebuilding Together Twin Cities' Volunteer Support Committee and Development Committee, as well as volunteering in the office on a weekly basis.

"The benefits from the time, knowledge, and expertise that Mariette has given to our organization are immeasurable. It has allowed RTTC to make a bigger impact in the community, supporting homeowners and allowing them to remain in their homes," said Kathy Greiner, RTTC's Executive Director. "These homeowners often become catalysts, influencing others to improve their own homes and invest in their neighborhoods. The work we do would not be possible without volunteers like Mariette, those who take on leadership roles in our organization. With her enthusiasm, commitment, and can-do attitude, Mariette has allowed us to stretch our resources further and give hope to low-income homeowners in need."

Thank you again Mariette for all of your hard work and continued support of RTTC!

Last Call for Teams for Bubba Gump's

RTTC is still recruiting teams for the 4th Annual Bubba Gump Re-Building Block Party on February 27th at the Best Buy Rotunda at the Mall of America. This event offers a unique teambuilding experience and an opportunity to help low-income homeowners live safely and independently in their homes.

Teams of up to eight people will compete to create structures out of Mega Bloks. One hundred percent of the money raised through registration fees and donations will support RTTC. If you would like more information or are interested in sponsoring a team, please contact Michaela Brown at m.brown@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org or 651-776-4273.

Marting Luther King, Jr. Celebrated Across Twin Cities

The Pioneer Press reports on yesterday's celebrations.

Volunteers Continue Home Repair Work for a Minneapolis Vietnam Veteran

Twin Cities non-profit and volunteers work on January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a National Day of Service

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, a National Day of Service, volunteers will continue the work started on Charles’ home in November, providing home health and safety repairs that will make it easier for the former Marine to live safely his house.

A small team of volunteers with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities will be demolishing the interior of Charles' kitchen to prepare for accessibility modifications and general upgrades.

The house is located at 1326 Emerson Avenue N in Minneapolis. Work begins at the site at 9 a.m. Costs for the project are being covered by a sponsorship grant from Wells Fargo and a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging.


The African-American homeowner served in Vietnam and has lived in his North Minneapolis home for more than 30 years. He is a vocalist with a local jazz band and has provided hours of entertainment for local residents at area parks and music venues.

Charles also has diabetes, and the severity of the disease resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. During one of his many a hospital stays, vandals broke into the home and took many of his valuables, including his musical equipment.

When the work on his home is completed this Spring, Charles will again be able to live safely in his home. Volunteers have already gutted a first floor bedroom to prepare it to be converted to a fully accessible bathroom, installed new windows and three new doors, and made weatherization improvements to the home. When the work is completed, a new first floor accessible bathroom and fully accessible and upgraded kitchen will be waiting for Charles, as well as a patched roof, and repairs and modifications made to his exterior wheelchair ramp.

Rebuilding Together To Support Relief Efforts In Haiti

Rebuilding Together is currently accepting donations in support of relief efforts in Haiti. It is estimated that up to 3 million people may have been directly affected by the earthquake's damage, and many more around the world have felt its impact through the loss of family members and loved ones.

Donations made through Rebuilding Together to assist the people of Haiti will be dedicated to addressing three core activities: Emergency Medical Assistance, Community Clean Up and Neighborhood Rebuilding.

"As a 4 star-rated organization by Charity Navigator, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities in the United States, we recognize the urgency to come together and support those in need," President and CEO of Rebuilding Together, Gary A. Officer, stated. "We would like to express great sadness for the loss of life and the tremendous amount of damage caused by the earthquake that recently struck Haiti and encourage everyone to support the efforts first responders in Haiti, while preparing for the long-term process of recovery and rebuilding."

In addition to donations, Rebuilding Together will be gathering with members of the Haitian community in Miami to show our support during these difficult times. The Miami community is home to many families with connections and loved ones in Haiti. We will take this opportunity to not only rebuild the local Miami community, but also bring attention to the broader global need.

To provide immediate first response, Rebuilding Together will work through its Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Program to provide assistance on the long term reconstruction of communities impacted by the earthquake. We will ensure that the long-term commitment to rebuilding and recovery is met.

In the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, Rebuilding Together is working to meet the needs of Haitians. Please support these efforts. To learn more about how your donation works and to donate through Rebuilding Together, please visit: http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/