It is no secret that much of the housing stock in Roanoke City is getting older, and that there are some owners who can’t afford to do much-needed repair work. That’s where “Rebuilding Together” – formerly “Christmas in April” – comes in. Every spring, scores of volunteers come together in Roanoke to do repairs of up to 00-3000, typically on several dozen houses.
Owners of homes in need of repair can apply for help through local social service agencies, including LOA. Private funds are raised to support the annual project, which is part of a nationwide undertaking. Those selected after the qualification process open their homes to volunteer crews in April. The number of homes to be worked on depends on how much money is raised and typically includes such projects as roofing, repairing or building porches, painting, plumbing, and handicap ramps.
Rebuilding Together board member Alan McClellan, also the operations director, stopped by a home in Northwest Roanoke last Saturday to watch volunteer carpenters shore up a wooden porch roof. Several other houses had already been worked on earlier in the month.
“We do have skilled laborers,” says McClellan, who estimated that upwards of 300 might have gotten involved this year, “[and] nobody is paid to do any of this stuff.” They make an exception to hire professionals for jobs like siding replacement.
A major grant from The Foundation for Roanoke Valley ($100,000), plus smaller but substantial donations from Wachovia, SunTrust and Carilion helped fund repairs this year. Since 1998 more than 300 homes have been renovated by the Rebuilding Together program locally.
McClellan makes it a point to travel to each house, meeting with the homeowners. “The appreciation is just incredible. Most of them are very [grateful].” McClellan estimates that several hundred people may have applied this year for the few dozen slots that qualified.
Volunteers benefit as well. McClellan called that a “reverse mission,” where “the people that work on them probably get as much out of it as the homeowner does.” Crews that come back year after year gain more experience with the types of work to be done, which means that McClellan gets fewer calls these days from homeowners complaining about some facet of their makeover.
Some businesses send groups of volunteers annually. “[Many] volunteers come back year after year,” added Rebuilding Together’s Ralph Stiles, who was making the rounds with McClellan. “They try it one time and get such a thrill out of it they come back.”
“We are active year round,” said local chapter president Ed Murray, but every April on Rebuilding Day we pull out all the stops, [and] we allow people to accept help with dignity.”
By Gene Marrano [email protected]