My neighbor fell, in her home last weekend…

On Saturday, my neighbor came over to ask if we had seen Lill. Lill is 84 years old, and has lived in her home for 40 years. She lost her husband last December and is living on a small social security income.

We were worried because Lill loves her morning paper, and is diligent about picking it up every morning. It was 3:00 PM and the paper was still in her driveway.

So we called Lill’s daughter-in-law. Later, we heard that Lill had fallen and got stuck for 12 hours before her daughter-in-law arrived and helped her. She’s OK, but I shudder to think of what could have happened if we hadn’t noticed the newspaper.

My neighbor’s sense of community may have saved Lill’s life.

There are thousands of seniors like Lill, living alone in our communities, and they may need help. Some of them know their neighbors, but many do not. We think they all should.

That’s why at RTSF, we take pride in our mission, reaching over that fence to help those who need it. On October 27, 300 volunteers will reach over the fence during our October Build Day. They will venture into a new neighborhood and have a conversation with a senior. They’ll make a connection with someone who has very few connections. They’ll create a safe home and they’ll start to build a community.

I want to invite you to join our community. Please help us to extend the sense of “home” to everyone who needs it. Chip in with a contribution of time or money this fall. Each dollar donated creates $3 in repairs and supports safe and affordable neighborhoods for all San Franciscans.

Thank you,
Karen

This fall, reach over your fence to help RTSF build a caring community in San Francisco.

 What you can do:
1. Attend a Volunteer Orientation to learn how you can make a senior’s home safer with other Bay Area volunteers.

2. Gather a group of friends, neighbors or co-workers and help repair a home or community facility during our April and October Rebuilding Days.

3. If you know of someone in need, call RTSF and we’ll see if we can connect them with a repair.

4.  Make a donation to Rebuilding Together San Francisco so we can reach over more fences to serve low income homeowners