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Recent News and Events

Employment Opportunities:  RTMC has two openings for AmeriCorps members starting in September 2008.  Click here for more information.

Get More From Your Vacation:  You can support RTMC even as you soak up the rays or vacation with your family. RTMC has a partnership with YTB Travel, a website comparable to expedia or orbitz, but where RTMC receives 40% of the commission on booked travel. By booking your vacations on our site, you are supporting RTMC at no additional cost to yourself! For more information, go to http://www.ytbtravel.com/rebuildingtogether.

New Grants:  RTMC is proud to report that we have received two grants from the Montgomery County Council in the amount of $70,000 for FY2009. The grants are allocated as such: $50,000 as seed money for the launch of our Critical Needs Program and $20,000 towards the purchase of a new truck to haul heavy equipment. RTMC thanks the many members of the County Council who advocated on our behalf!

Special Project: RTMC has taken on a special project this spring/summer. In partnership with the Ashton and Olney communities, RTMC is working to build an accessible addition for a local family in need, after the self-employed father became a quadriplegic due to a swimming accident. The Ashton/Olney community has done significant fundraising, raising $54,000 through a concert and local high schoolers who “flamingoed” neighbors for a fee, and then removed the flamingoes for another fee. The Britt Family Foundation has made a $20,000 donation to help underwrite costs, and an anonymous private donor has stepped up with significant seed funding to get the ball rolling as well. Nichols Contracting has taken on the project leadership, and several companies have donated materials and labor, including the HVAC system, the electrical work, and the siding. RTMC is so impressed with the community for stepping up to help a neighbor return home, and proud to be coordinating the efforts.

Governance:  RTMC participated in it’s annual Board Retreat for the staff and members of the Board of Directors on June 10, 2008. The event, hosted by the Church of Christ at Manor Woods and facilitated by Cheryl Haar, allowed for teambuilding exercises and strategic planning for the coming years. Many thanks to all who came out to participate in the continuing growth of RTMC.

Upcoming Projects: RTMC is proud to partner with API and HSBC this month on two Corporate Give-Back Days, in which RTMC will coordinate the volunteer work of these two sponsoring groups. Both projects place a heavy emphasis on making energy efficient repairs, reducing the cost and consumption for the families served. RTMC wishes to extend many thanks to API and HSBC for their support, and to Rebuilding Together’s national office for fostering the relationship. The API project happened June 7th (see feature story) and the HSBC project will take place June 20th. We could use a few skilled volunteers for the HSBC project. If you would like to volunteer your carpentry, plumbing, or electrical skills, please contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org. 

Rebuilding Day 2008

Whew – it’s over! Congratulations to all the House Captains, Ambassadors, Volunteer Teams, and Sponsors for making the Spring Rebuilding Days such a success. RTMC volunteers were able to make repairs to 36 homes and 2 nonprofit organizations over the weekends of April 26 and May 4 – quite an accomplishment. While we can’t acknowledge everyone who participated, a special thanks should go to our Award-Winning Teams and Leaders, as acknowledged at the House Captain Dinner on May 23rd.

House Captain of the Year – Light:   Dusti Connor and Gary Burroughs

                                                              Oak Chapel, Trinity Lutheran Church, Layhill Community Church

House Captain of the Year – Medium:  John Enagonio, Christ Congregational & First Baptist Church        

House Captain of the Year – Heavy: Craig Arold, Neelsville Presbyterian Church

Community Builder Award: Potomac Valley Brick

Platinum Hammer Award: Nichols Contracting

Golden Hammer Award: John Vilgos, St. Francis of Assisi

Best Paperwork Award:  Richard Chandler, Saint Mark Presbyterian Church

Energy Efficiency Awards:  Mike Iseman, Mark Hochberg, Pete Wilson, Tom Gebler, Mike Cogan, Temple Beth Ami/Shaare Torah

We also wish to thank all of our sponsors for Spring Project Day 2008. Thank you for all that you did, whether it be leadership, money, donated materials, or donated labor – when it all comes together, we have a year like we did this year – filled with success!

Adventist Healthcare • American Petroleum Institute • Ashton United Methodist Church • BB&T Bank • Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School • Bethesda Kiwanis • Bethesda Presbyterian Church • B’nai Israel • Cedar Ridge Community Church • Christ Church Episcopal • Christ Congregational Church • Colesville Presbyterian Church • Daro Realty • DG Liu Contractors • First Baptist Church of Silver Spring • Gartenhaus Financial Group • GCAAR • Georgetown Preparatory School • Gilbane Building Company • Good Shepherd Lutheran Church • Hearts and Hands • Helping Hands • Holy Cross Church • IREM • Kettler Forlines Builders • Landon School • Layhill Community Free Church • Manor Woods Church of Christ • Monocacy Lions Club • Neelsville Presbyterian Church • Oak Chapel United Methodist Church • OBA Bank • Olney Lions Club • Our Lady of Good Counsel High School • Our Lady of Presentation Catholic Church • Our Lady of Visitation Catholic Church • Poolesville Area Chamber of Commerce • Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church • Poolesville Presbyterian Church • Potomac Presbyterian Church • Potomac Valley Brick • Saint Mark Presbyterian Church • Sears Holdings • Shaare Torah • Silver Spring Lions Club • St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church • St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church • St. Paul’s Catholic Church • St. Peter’s Parish • Temple Beth Ami • Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church • TW Perry • Yachad

RT National News

Heroes at Home Continues to Grow: RT Long Island hosted the 3rd national demonstration project for Heroes at Home, a joint effort between Rebuilding Together, Sears, and K-mart. Volunteers made repairs to the home of Christopher Joseph, a 23-year veteran of the Army. As a reminder, RTMC was the first affiliate to host a national project for the Heroes at Home initiative.

TV Appearance:  WD-40 and Powerblock TV’s XTreme 4x4 cable show have teamed up to build Rebuilding Together “The Ultimate Work Truck”.  The show featuring “The Ultimate Work Truck” and Rebuilding Together aired Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8 on SPIKE TV.  Xtreme 4x4’s hosts Ian Johnson Jessi Combs volunteered on a Rebuilding Together Nashville project last March as a precursor to building RT the trunk. The truck is a GMC 3500 dual wheel pick-up and will be branded with WD-40 and RT graphics. The truck will embark on The WD-40 Last Straw Tour visiting retail locations this summer. Affiliates will be invited to join WD-40 representatives at select tour locations and hand out information and answer questions about Rebuilding Together. The truck will be auctioned off at the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas with proceeds benefiting Rebuilding Together.

RT Receives Federal Grant:  Rebuilding Together received a grant from The Corporation for National and Community Service in the amount of $500,000 to host Americorps members at several RT affiliate locations. RTMC requested, and received, two slots for Americorps members from this pool. These members should begin working with RTMC staff in September.

Getting Involved

Volunteer Opportunities:  We are looking for a few good men (or women!).

• June 20th – RTMC seeks skilled volunteers with carpentry, electrical, or plumbing skills to help with the HSBC Corporate Give-Back Day in Silver Spring – contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• June 21st – Hearts & Hands workday in Silver Spring – contact Chris Hoffman at jhoffman@geico.com
• July 19th – Hearts & Hands workday in Silver Spring – contact Chris Hoffman at jhoffman@geico.com
• Flexible Projects – general painting for a group of 2-3 in Rockville – contact Kathy Thrower at kthrower@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Ongoing – administrative work in the RTMC office including filing, database entry, etc. – contact Kathy Thrower at kthrower@rebuildingtogethermc.org

Ways to Give:  RTMC thanks you for all the ways you participate in our program!

• Time: see opportunities above
• Cash: give securely online at www.rebuildingtogethermc.org or contact Lee Berkeley Shaw at lshaw@rebuildingtogethermc.org for more information
• Outreach: link RTMC to potential partners or sponsors – contact Lee Berkeley Shaw at lshaw@rebuildingtogethermc.org for more information
• In-Kind: RTMC has the need for specific items – call the office for more details
• VACATION: RTMC receives 40% of commissions if you book your summer travel through our website – prices and search engine are the same as expedia, orbitz, etc. To support RTMC even as you soak up rays on the beach, go to: http://www.ytbtravel.com/rebuildingtogether