|
Dear Friends of
Rebuilding Together San Francisco:
We are writing today to let you
know about a change here at Rebuilding Together.
After 5½ years as Executive Director, Ruth Ann
will be leaving to spend more time with her
family. They are expecting their second child -
a little girl - in early February and she looks
forward to being home with her children. Her
departure date will be in early to mid-December
depending on the needs of the organization.
This was a bittersweet decision
for Ruth Ann to leave, and this decision was one
of the toughest she has had to make in many
years. While she looks forward to the changes in
her life, she will really miss all of you - our
volunteers, sponsors, donors and community
partners.
We want you to know that
the Board of Directors has formed a Transition
Committee which is thoughtfully managing the
search process. The job announcement has been
released and can also be found on our website at
www.rebuildingtogethersf.org. There are many
qualified nonprofit leaders in the Bay Area and
the Transition Committee will be interviewing
candidates within the next few weeks, with the
intention of hiring a new Executive Director
very soon. We are confident the baton will
be passed smoothly and successfully.
As we head into our 20th year of
service, we are proud to say that Rebuilding
Together is strong financially, programmatically
and operationally. Together, we have improved
the lives of those in need throughout our great
city, and we are poised to make an even greater
impact under the new Executive Director, who
will build on these accomplishments and shape
our organization in the years ahead.
Should you wish to discuss this
transition or have any questions about
Rebuilding Together, please feel free to contact
Ruth Ann at 415-905-1611, ext. 202 or
ruthann@rebuildingtogethersf.org or Jen Glover,
Rebuilding Together's Board Chair, at
415-356-2543 or jglover@macfarlanepartners.com.
As always, thank you for your
dedication to Rebuilding Together and for
working with us to make a difference in our
community - we are humbled by all that you
do.
With
gratitude,
 Ruth Ann
Binder
Jen Glover
Executive
Director
Board Chair
.
| |
|
Daniel Webster Elementary School
and Dreamforce: A Monumental
Success 
On Saturday November 1st over 150
volunteers converged on Daniel Webster
Elementary School in the Potrero Hill
neighborhood for the Dreamforce
Event! The Saleforce.com Foundation
teamed up with Rebuilding Together San
Francisco to continue our commitment
to Daniel Webster Elementary
School. The Dreamforce event was
the second project at this site, and the
improvements coordinated by Rebuilding
Together have been felt throughout the
neighborhood. Not only were we able to beautify
the interior of several classrooms and
the large cafeteria, Rebuilding Together
also worked with Plant
SF and Friends
of the Urban
Forestry to green the
sidewalks surrounding Daniel Webster. Trees and
foliage now greet parents, students and faculty
along the west side of the school.
Pieter Kruit of Kruit
Painters led Rebuilding Together's painting
effort for the Dreamforce event with support
from Jared Doumani of Persnickety Painters.
Their expertise shaped the day into a manageable
chunk of work for the volunteers. Even
though the weather did not cooperate (It poured
down rain ALL DAY long!), we achieved our goals
for the school and the Dreamforce team.
Salesforce.com requested that an aspect
of their project at Daniel Webster include
construction, so RTSF was able to gather skilled
RT volunteers to work together in the same place
instead of being scattered throughout the city
on separate projects. Our hard-working
volunteers set up work stations under tents and
braved the rain to build 22 large high-quality
planter boxes that were donated to school
gardens all over San Francisco at the end of the
work day. Handy volunteers from the
Dreamforce team were able to hone their building
skills in a safe and supportive environment, and
the results were impressive. We hope this
will be the first of many skilled build events
for RTSF. It was powerful to have so many
of RTSF's skilled volunteers in one
place!
Overall, Rebuilding Together San
Francisco's success at Daniel Webster
Elementary School is a
microcosm of what RTSF
contributes to San Francisco. We
are pleased that through our efforts we can
engage concerned and active members of this
area to make a better
community.
|
Volunteer
Spotlight: Pat Loughran and Jim Passaglia
Volunteers are the
heart of our organization. RTSF has chosen to
highlight the works of two extremely dedicated
volunteers, Pat Loughran and Jim Passaglia, each
of whom received special recognition at our
October event.
Pat
Loughran has been involved with the
organization since its earliest days and each
year his dedication and team of
skilled volunteers make a significant
contribution to Rebuilding Together. The RTSF
family understands that each RTSF volunteer is
surrounded by a family that values volunteerism
in the community. Chris Loughran (Pat's wife)
has worked tirelessly on behalf of San Francisco
children and their children have volunteered on
a number of their father's Rebuilding Together
projects! The Loughran family continues to
contribute to their San Francisco community.
Pat is also one of San Francisco's
premier green builders. His company, Lorax
Development, is responsible for several
green builds in the San Francisco
area. |
|
 Jim
Passaglia is one of RTSF's long-time
leaders. Each year he rallies an ambitious
team of structural engineers to create a major
impact for a non-profit facility. Early in
Jim's volunteerism, the SEAONC team (Structural
Engineers Association of Northern California)
implemented renovations for homeowners. This
group took on large-scale projects
that addressed serious deferred maintenance
issues threatening several homeowners' ability
to remain in their homes. Over the years
the SEAONC team has grown in size. Their impact
on the San Francisco community continues to grow
and we are proud of the work they do on behalf
of Rebuilding Together San Francisco.
Recently Jim opened
the doors of Kiland Passaglia Westphal
Structural Engineers, Inc. - a full service
engineering company. As with most long-time
volunteers, Jim's family plays a supportive role
in his volunteerism. His wife Annette has
worked with the SEAONC team to create delightful
murals in several facilities that serve San
Francisco children.
|
|
Park(ing) Day 2008!!
PARK(ing) Day 2008 was
a fun-filled day for Rebuilding
Together staff and supporters on Friday
September 19th. Park(ing) Day is a one-day,
global event centered in San Francisco where
artists, activists and citizens collaborate to
temporarily transform metered parking spots into
"PARK(ing)" spaces: temporary public
parks.
Program staffers Valerie, Kat,
Orlanda and Susan (volunteer
extraordinaire) constructed a living room
scene at the intersection of Folsom and The
Embarcadero to showcase
the awesome mission of RTSF as well as
the amazing construction ability of RTSF's
staff! Associate Director Scott Kim and
Outreach Coordinator Kai Wilson also joined in
on the festivities later in the day. During the
day many people stopped by to chat and have
lunch.
Park(ing) Day is a yearly
event and next year RTSF staff would love
to have more volunteers join us! Visit
http://www.parkingday.org/ and http://www.rebargroup.org/ for more
information. |
Rebuilding Together
Event 
On the evening of Thursday
October 16, 2008,
over seventy-five Rebuilding Together
volunteers, donors, sponsors, staff and
well-wishers gathered at the Golden Gate Yacht
Club to enjoy an evening of
celebration. Kicking off our 20th year of
service, Rebuilding Together hosted this gala to
highlight the many accomplishments and successes
we have collectively shared over the years.
Rebuilding Together supporters were able to
reconnect, network and have a great time. The
evenings' highlights included a video put
together by Kyle Shepard (volunteer) featuring
one of our favorite clients (Mrs.
Williams) as well as the surprise award
bestowed upon Dian Quinn. (Pictured right with
Ruth Ann Binder and Jen Glover.) After 3 years
of serving as Rebuilding Together's Board
President, Dian will be stepping down in this
role, but she will still remain on the Board.
Jen Glover will serve as the new Board
President. We thank Associate
Director Scott Kim for putting together
such a classy
affair! |
Home Safety &
Independence Program 
With another fiscal year
freshly tucked away, our year-round HS&I
program has served more than 180 clients this
past year with grab bars, smoke detectors,
safety assessments, handrails and much
more, thanks to our fantastic volunteers: Tom
Abels, John Calvello, Mark Farr, Andy Moran as
well as contractor Mary
Gerber.
We expect to have
more clients served this year, in part due to
increased outreach such as the Social Worker
Luncheon, which was held at the Potrero Hill
Neighborhood House on October 23rd as a way to
foster community collaboration. We had a turn
out of over 20 staff from 15 different partner
agencies, a wonderful slide show (thanks to
volunteer extraordinaire Susan), a volunteer
installer's perspective (thanks to Tom) and a
yummy lunch. Thanks to all who helped out and
came out to hear about our great
programs!
We're always looking for
dedicated volunteers who can help seniors and
adults with disabilities age safely in their
homes year round through HS&I - if you are a
handy-person (or willing to learn) and would
like to know more, please contact Valerie at
Valerie@rebuildingtogethersf.org.
"I
just want you to know how very grateful I am to
your organization for installing the grab bars
in my shower, I feel so much safer now, as I had
a terrible fall about a year ago. The installer
did an excellent job and I truly appreciate his
work. Thanks for helping this 91 years old
senior for more safety."
Quote from a thank you card
from Ms.
E. | |
| |
|
Select-A-Thon 2009:
Mark Your Calendars!!!
It is again
time to join together to select homes for our
annual Rebuilding Weekend. In 2009, Rebuilding
Weekend will be held on Saturday April 25 and
Sunday April 26. Rebuilding Together will be
sending out dedicated volunteers on three
different Select-A-Thon dates to ensure that we
view as many prospective homes as possible. The
viewings will be held: Saturday November
15th,
Saturday December 6th
and Saturday January
10th. Please contact Orlanda Wilson at
orlanda@rebuildingtogethersf.org if you are interested in
volunteering your time to select
homes! |
|
Rebuilding Together
and AmeriCorps Team
Up!
Rebuilding Together San Francisco
welcomed AmeriCorps member Kai Wilson to their
staff as the Outreach Coordinator. Kai recently
moved to San Francisco from Chicago. A graduate
from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Kai has worked in nonprofit
management for over 5 years and thought joining
AmeriCorps would be a great experience. Thus
far, Kai has conducted copious amounts
of outreach, participated in a successful
partnership luncheon and had her first large
scale 'build' event experience! She is looking
forward to the rest of her time at
RTSF! |
Rebuilding Together would like to thank
our major sponsors from
Rebuilding Weekend
2008.
|
|
