[Re]ports, [Re]leases, [Re]cognitions

Area Volunteers help Local Veteran - April 29, 2023

FIRESTONE PARK — The Home Depot Foundation and Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio (RTNEO) teamed up recently to make accessibility modifications and improvements to the home of Anthony Aman, a local Air Force veteran living in the Firestone Park area. After serving as an Air Force mechanic from 1986 to 1990, Aman’s family settled in Akron and have been in their current home since 2001. Shown above, volunteers from Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force and RTNEO install new steps on the porch and in the yard. They also completed other safety and beautification projects, pictured below. During National Volunteer Month in April, The Foundation worked with Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide to address accessibility needs for veterans and since 2011, it has invested more than $475 million in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran housing facilities.

SHE BUILDS 2022 Projects

Akron and Cleveland Ohio

On September 17th, 2022, women from all over Northeast Ohio came to participate in our second annual SHE BUILDS training day at Tri-C.

In October 2022 - our SHE BUILDS community participated in community project swill in Akron and Cleveland Thank you to presenting sponsors Associated Underwriters Insurance | AUI and Key Bank.

Training and technology center

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio Partnered with Spectrum

On June 25, 2022, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio partnered with Spectrum to provide an upgraded Training and Technology Center and new outdoor space at Lakeview Community Center on the westside of Cleveland.

Rebuilding Dudley Triangle Park And Lake Park Pool

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio Helping Communities

On June 17th,  local volunteers with Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio helped the Northwest Neighborhoods team upgrade two public spaces in Detroit Shoreway! Dudley Triangle Pocket Park received 8 trees, 5 picnic tables, 1 grill and new landscaping. Lake Park pool received 6 new benches. We also provided free address numbers to 10+ homes in the area.

Thank you to community partners:

Cleveland rotary yard clean-up

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Rotary Helping Retired Veteran

Thank you for to the Cleveland Rotary for helping clean up a yard of a retired veteran.  Their donation also helped to install a new walk in shower for the homeowner.

Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project 2021

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio Helping Veterans

In September, Rebuilding Together partnered with the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, which provides veterans in need of a new roof, as a way to thank them for all they’ve given by serving our country. A roof can be one of the most critical repairs on a home. Owens Corning donated all the materials, Rebuilding Together provided materials for new gutters and a local roofer provided the labor. 

Lowes Home for Hero’s 2021

Volunteers from Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism (NEOPAT) put the finishing touches on our Lowes Home for Hero’s Project. Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio identified a single mom living in Akron, who had served in the National Guard for almost 15 years, including two deployments to Afghanistan. With the support from Lowes, RTNEO was able to provide her with a new roof and gutters. Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism helped with yard clean up, enclosing the bottom of the porch and installation of a flag pole with lights. (NEOPAT)#veterans #lowes #rebuildingtogether

August 31, 2021

Going Beyond Homes: Revitalizing Beloved Community Gyms with UFC and Modelo

“Respect for all.” That is the one rule that local boxing gym Revolution Fight and Fitness (also known as “The Rev”) instills in its members. The Rev, located in Euclid, OH outside of Cleveland, was brought to life in 2018 by owner Tim Stafford. Stafford started his boxing career while serving in the Army, but afterwards continued coaching and even competed in the Masters Division of USA Boxing.

After spending over 20 years in the fighting world, Stafford decided to recruit, organize and bring together the best coaches and fighters in his area by opening a new gym unlike any other. What had formerly been an old warehouse filled with junk was transformed into a training space by Stafford. Using his time off from his day job to come in and clear out the garbage, strip and scrub the floors, purchase and install second hand training equipment, build his own Jiu Jitsu mat from scratch and more, Tim established The Rev.

The mission of The Rev from day one has been to have a gym that creates a positive environment so athletes can truly thrive and reach their fullest potential. Since the beginning, many disadvantaged athletes have been invited to train at The Rev for free. The Rev also welcomes those who serve the community, offering the steepest veteran and first responder discount in the area. From the outset, Tim’s goal for The Rev has been to build an environment fostering a positive and tightly-knit group of members—and thanks to a dedicated and loyal team of coaches and fighters, he has made good on this promise.

The Rev struggled for its first year, but as Stafford learned from the Army and as he reinforces in each of his fighters, you may struggle, but you never quit. The Euclid community embraced The Rev and the gym was recently featured in The Euclid Observer’s Local Business Spotlight. In 2020, the pandemic brought a new set of challenges for The Rev. Stafford struggled to keep The Rev afloat as the state of Ohio issued shutdowns. For all of 2020, just making rent to stay in business had to be Stafford’s top priority. For this reason, many of the gym’s physical resources were not able to be kept up with, and they are all now wearing thin. Since the gym is in an old factory, the heating and cooling systems are inconsistent, old paint is flaking off the walls and ceiling pipes leak down into the boxing area. Broken lighting makes it dark in the cage. Both the ring and cage have taken a beating, too, and the cage floor is becoming loose and wrinkled.

Modelo, the beer brewed for those with The Fighting Spirit™, and long-standing partner UFC, heard about The Rev’s story and wanted to help. As a part of their new initiative with Rebuilding Together, Modelo and UFC are working to revitalize training gyms across the country, boosting the Fighting Spirit and ultimately strengthening these communities. Four gyms across the U.S. that play integral roles in positively shaping their local neighborhoods will receive repairs starting with The Rev in Ohio and following with gyms in Austin, TX, Saratoga, NY and Seattle, WA.

Gyms and sports facilities play a unique role in the well-being of our communities and the health of our neighbors. Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio is excited to work with Modelo and UFC on the repairs to The Rev! With their help and support, The Rev can continue to carry out its mission successfully and impact the lives of fighters from all over the Cleveland area.

For the last 26 years, Rebuilding Together has joined forces with the NFL and Lowe’s to host projects in Super Bowl cities for the annual Kick Off to Rebuild. While Northeast Ohio is not hosting a Super Bowl this year, it did not stop our RTNEO and local Lowe’s Rebuilders from doing a project of their own

Thanks to generous support from Lowe’s, our team of Rebuilders were able to help Army veteran Luke Frohnapfel with critical home modifications to ensure that the 88-year-old Korean War veteran and his wife, Mary Lou, can age gracefully in their 110-year-old Akron home. Luke and Mary Lou have lived in their home for over 40 years, raising eight children in the process.

Keeping public health safety in mind, contractors from Access Solutions, Inc. and members of our team installed two chair lifts and a 20-foot flagpole at the couple’s home.

Chair lifts were installed along the basement steps and steps going to the second floor to assist the couple in moving easier around their home.

After the project was completed Luke only had one thing to say: "We certainly do appreciate this. We are just thankful."

If you or your business are interested in sponsoring a flag installation for a veteran, please contact Brian Sturgeon at brian.sturgeon@rebuildingtogetherneo.org or by phone (330) 802-1533.

November 7, 2020

Kent Senior Service Day 2020

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio and Riverwood Chapel once again teamed up with the City of Kent for a day of fun and service. While we had fewer volunteers this year, turnout was still impressive in light of current events. Our team of [Re]Builders were able to create work groups of family members to tackle the tasks at hand this year to maximize safety efforts. By the end of the day, our [Re]vitalizers served 20 homes with less than half the number of volunteers that participated last year.

We are already looking forward to next November for KSSD 2021 and hope you are too!

As an organization, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio is deeply connected to our community and work every day to improve the safety and health of our neighbors. Rebuilding Together was started under the idea that every person should help their neighbors and give back to their community. Those values remain true today.

At this point, we have made the difficult decision to postpone work on homes and postpone all volunteer projects to prevent homeowner exposure and the exposure of volunteers and staff to the Coronavirus.

During times like these we must continue to care for one another and protect one another, especially our older neighbors. The spread of COVID-19 has made our work more challenging, but we will persevere. Our work remains critical as we help our most vulnerable neighbors shelter in place and will remain critical beyond this time. As we face a possible economic downturn, the need for Rebuilding Together’s critical safe and healthy housing services will be needed more than ever.

Should you need to contact me, I remain available via phone at (330) 773-4100 ext 2110 or email at pams@rebuildingtogetherneo.org

Sincerely,

Pam Schuellerman
President & CEO

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Small Business Critical Repairs in Northeast Ohio

Small businesses are the cornerstone of strong, healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio is thrilled to partner with Republic Services to support the critical needs of small businesses affected by COVID-19 in Cleveland and Akron.

Many small business owners across the country are experiencing financial hardship and economic disruption because of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Through grants provided by the Republic Services Charitable Foundation, RTNEO will be able to provide much needed support to local business owners as they begin returning to work. Some of the repairs performed will include rebuilding surrounding business infrastructure, critical landscape repairs and modifications to allow for safe access of buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, storefronts and nearby public and common spaces.

“Republic Services understands the integral role small businesses play in our communities,” said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “With their support, we can help businesses recover from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and position them to serve their community for years to come.”

We have selected nine small businesses in total to partner with on this effort. Stayed tuned to our social media accounts in the coming months to see highlights on these businesses and the progress of their projects.

September 12, 2020

Planting Roots on the Westside

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio teamed up with a group of [Re]builders from Gilbane Building Company for a great day of helping our communities. Backed by generous contributions from both Spectrum and Gilbane Building Company, this year we transformed the outdoor space at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center on Cleveland’s Westside. This project was a special one. Not only was it the only project we were able to complete in Cleveland in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it also kicks off our focused efforts in the Brooklyn Centre, Old Brooklyn, and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods.

Our team of [Re]builders radically transformed the Julia de Burgos outside space in just one morning. Old trees and bushes were taken out, fresh paint was applied to doors, the light pole and signs, garden beds were put in, and a garden border with a gate was put up to protect the flowers. For a treat, swing by in the evening to see how brightly lit it is now as well!

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio has worked closely with the executive director of JDBCAC over several months to plan and execute this project. Here is what our [Re]Builders said about the project:

“I am so grateful for what Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio and the volunteers from Gilbane have done to transform our space! It looks so good!” – Letitia, Executive Director of JDBCAC

“We appreciate the work Rebuilding Together NEO does to help in our communities and cherish our partnership with your organization. Gilbane Cares is a principal we apply throughout the company. The shared value of caring makes for a great partnership and we look forward to this service event each and every year.” – Matt, Project Manager at Gilbane Building Company

“Those empanadas from Half-Moon Bakery were amazing!” – Every [Re]Builder on the project after lunch was served

This wonderful project was no accident. Over the last few months, we have been hard at work building substantial relationships with the organizations in these neighborhoods to help concentrate resources and help our communities even more. As a result, we are excited to also announce that Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio has joined the Healthy Housing Pilot Committee lead by Old Brooklyn CDC. This multi-organizational partnership was assembled to leverage a variety of strengths to centralize efforts and resources for the maximum amount of community impact possible.

Even more is in the works, so stay tuned to keep up to date!

August 20, 2020

Safe at Home is Expanding for 2021

Thanks to a generous grant by the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio will be able to bring the Safe at Home program to residents in Portage, Stark, and Summit counties for 2021. This program is foundational to the organization and it is incredibly exciting to expand its reach outside of the Greater Cleveland.

For information on eligibility requirements click here.

july 8, 2020

RTNEO is back to work

On June 1st, our Rebuilders got together and had a meeting to discuss how we would move forward with serving our communities with consideration for the threat that COVID-19 poses for many of those we serve. After reviewing the statistics with both the virus and the demographic data on who we serve Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio has come to the conclusion that our communities not only have a great need for us to continue our work , but that we also must be incredibly diligent in ensuring we protect our neighbors and our Rebuilders from any avoidable risks. The vision of Rebuilding Together is one of safe homes and communities for everyone. To that end we have adopted a strict set of policies and procedures to ensure we can still help our neighbors in need while doing our best to prevent transmission risks.

You can read our policies and procedures for our Rebuilders, contractors, and homeowners by clicking here.

With that in mind, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio has resumed serving our neighbors through our Safe at Home and City of Akron Minor Home Repair programs, as well as some of our other home repair programs in northeast Ohio.

Unfortunately, like many other organizations, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio has made the decision to postpone many of our large project days for the rest of the year due to the number of volunteers that participate on those days. We are using the time normally reserved for such events to plan and design our endeavors for 2021. There are some new and exciting ideas that our Rebuilders are coming up with and they are eager to share them when the time comes.

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio continues to monitor the status of our service area, the risks, and CDC recommendations to continue making decisions that are in the best interest of our neighbors and our Rebuilders.

MArch 19, 2020

As an organization, Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio is deeply connected to our community and work every day to improve the safety and health of our neighbors. Rebuilding Together was started under the idea that every person should help their neighbors and give back to their community. Those values remain true today.

At this point, we have made the difficult decision to postpone work on homes and postpone all volunteer projects to prevent homeowner exposure and the exposure of volunteers and staff to the Coronavirus.

During times like these we must continue to care for one another and protect one another, especially our older neighbors. The spread of COVID-19 has made our work more challenging, but we will persevere. Our work remains critical as we help our most vulnerable neighbors shelter in place and will remain critical beyond this time. As we face a possible economic downturn, the need for Rebuilding Together’s critical safe and healthy housing services will be needed more than ever.

Should you need to contact me, I remain available via phone at (330) 773-4100 ext 2110 or email at pams@rebuildingtogetherneo.org

Sincerely,

Pam Schuellerman
President & CEO

september 16, 2019

Rebuilding Together and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Partner to Serve Those Who Have Served

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Stark County Honor Court, Welty Construction, Dominion Energy, Marathon Petroleum, and Erie Insurance joined forces for an annual Veteran and Military Family Day of Service on November 15th and 16th to give back to those who have given so much.  

The Veteran and Military Family Day is a National Day of service dedicated to giving back to veterans and their families by “serving those who served”. Over 2 days, nearly 100 volunteers, many of whom are themselves veterans, mobilized to perform critical health and safety repairs on the homes of four veterans and military families. Tasks included home decluttering and organizing, roof repairs, walk in shower installation, grab bar and handrail installation, plumbing repairs, and more.

Dumpsters.com generously donated 3 dumpsters to the effort, the greatest number donated to a single project yet, and the Canton staple Thatsa Wrapp graciously donated lunch for our Saturday work crews to ensure our volunteers had the energy needed to finish their work.

The project was a wild success, with repairs at 2 of the homes being completed in the first day. The remaining 2 homes saw a return of their respective crews who diligently worked at their tasks until everything that could be accomplished was accomplished.

A big thank you to all who gave their time for this project!

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

Kent Senior Service Day with Riverwood Chapel

Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio, in partnership with Riverwood Chapel, mobilized volunteers for their annual Kent Senior Service Day. Every year Riverwood Chapel recruits volunteers to spend a Saturday serving seniors in the community by performing a host of Fall “clean up” activities in preparation for the chilly Northeast Ohio Winter. These tasks include raking leaves, trimming bushes and trees, cleaning gutters, and minor home repairs or modifications such as weatherizing drafty doors and windows, replacing light bulbs, checking smoke detectors, adjusting doors to ensure proper closure, and more. Preparing homes for the harsh Winter weather of our region is vital to ensuring our community members have safe and healthy homes throughout the cold months and to avoid unexpected Spring issues during the thaw.

Historically this event takes place in October when the weather is warmer, but this year Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio and their partners wanted to ensure that they launched their service day late enough in the season that most foliage and yard debris had already fallen to ensure the greatest impact possible. This meant volunteers needed to bundle up and brave the low November temperatures to serve their community as effectively as possible - and they did so in greater numbers than ever! This year 118 volunteers served 24 homes in Kent, drawing more volunteers than any year previously.

 August 24, 2019

South Sound [Re]Building Event and Training

The newest cohort of AmeriCorps service members met in Tacoma, WA for their training and orientation to AmeriCorps and Rebuilding Together. In addition to their class time, they were tasked with direct, hands on repairs for Tacoma residents in need alongside the hosting affiliate Rebuilding Together South Sound. Several service members from the January 2019 class joined the August 2019 class in the Pacific Northwest to assist in mentoring the new cohort and in working on 5 homes in Tacoma. AmeriCorps Program Coordinator, Chris Seamon, joined everyone to lend a hand, to share stories, to learn about the strategies other affiliates use for success, and importantly – to make new friends while repairing homes and rebuilding lives!

His advice to incoming Rebuilding Together AmeriCorps members?

“Your greatest skills are going to be compassion and humility. Everything else you need to know to execute your role at your affiliate can be learned in time, but as long as you’re compassionate and humble, you’re going to excel at your role with Rebuilding Together. We don’t work - we serve.”

- Chris Seamon, AmeriCorps Program Coordinator ‘19

May 7, 2019

Cleveland Foundation Lecture 2019

On May 7th [Re]Builders attended the annual Cleveland Foundation lecture titled “An Environment for Success” hosted by Key Bank and featuring keynote speaker Bill Nye (the “Science Guy”!). CEO, Ronn Richard, spoke about the future of Cleveland, urging attendees to do their part in efforts to support our communities by investing in local nonprofits, engaging their neighbors, and advocating for renewable energy and green technologies not only in Northeast Ohio, but on a grand scale across the globe. Additionally, the Cleveland Foundation has committed to greatly increasing social impact investments in the Cleveland area. This is an exciting time for area nonprofits to double down on their commitments to our communities. Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio is driven by the momentum of these keystone organizations and is excited to move forward utilizing the information learned at the Cleveland Foundation’s annual meeting to continuing improving how we serve communities in Northeast Ohio.