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October 2008 E-Newsletter

Recent News & Events

Online Social Networking Comes to RTMC – RTMC is pleased to announce our presence on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube.  If you are a member of any of these networks and would like to stay up to date with all the latest from RTMC, you now have the opportunity to do so! This is also a great way to organize your volunteer teams and spread the word about RTMC! For more information about this, please contact Ana Cimino at ACimino@rebuildingtogethermc.org.

New Orleans Bound: Paul Sciannella, a long-time House Captain with Ashton United Methodist Church, is planning his annual trip down to New Orleans for some much needed volunteer home repair work. Interested participants would need to be in New Orleans by 6pm on Sunday February 8th and will be finished Friday afternoon February 13th.  Once in New Orleans, lodging, meals and local transportation are all provided free of charge. You must pay your own way to New Orleans, and currently flights are running around $200 and up round trip.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Paul directly at paul.sciannella@frb.gov.           

Electronics Recycling Day – RTMC is able to accept donations of select appliances that are in working condition and under five years old.  For more information this, please contact Kathy Thrower at kthrower@rebuildingtogethermc.org. However, on December 14th, Bethesda Green is partnering with the Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste to present Bethesda residents with the opportunity to easily dispose of unwanted electronics at one central, convenient location.  For more information go to:  http://www.bethesdagreen.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=540

Meeting the Basic Needs – Along with shelter, food is a basic necessity for all. RTMC has learned that some of the food providers in our area are struggling to meet the needs of their clients. Below is a list of food items needed. We encourage you all to help if you can!

Gaithersburg HELP   gaithersburghelp@yahoo.com. Peanut Butter, Canned Tuna or Chicken, Whole Grain Cereals, Boxed Rice Mixes, Canned Spaghetti Sauce with Meat, Jam or Jelly, Diapers, Low Sodium Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruit in its Own Juice, Instant Potatoes, White and Wheat Pastas, canned soups and large paper bags.

Manna: 301-424-1130  or www.mannafood.org Tuna, Peanut Butter, Canned soup, Canned vegetables and fruit, Beans (dried and canned), Pasta (boxes and canned) Rice, Cereal, Baby food and tomato sauce/tomato products

St Martin's Food Pantry   301-990-7373. Spaghetti/pasta/sauce, rice, dried beans, cream soup (canned), macaroni and cheese, canned fruit and vegetables, Baby food/cereal/formula(Enfamil-1 lb container) Tuna(canned), breakfast cereal(unsweetened), peanut butter and jelly, milk(powered), potatoes, apples and oranges, personal hygiene products, toilet paper and quart size zip lock bags.

Fundraising Successes

New Grants:  RTMC is pleased to announce several new grants for FY2009:

• RTMC has raised over $94,000 from the October 13th RTMC Golf Classic! Many thanks to everyone involved in making the day such a success. For more about the 10th Annual RTMC Golf Classic, click here!
• The George Shields Foundation presented RTMC with a grant for $3,000 for general operating support. We are so grateful!
• RTMC has been invited to submit a full proposal to the Montgomery County Community Foundation after our initial Letter of Inquiry was recently accepted. Keep your fingers crossed!

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. Don’t forget about Thanksgiving and New Year’s travel plans!

RT National News

The Need is Great:  The Joint Center for Housing Studies recently released The State of the Nation's Housing 2008 report.  The report discusses the current housing crisis and projections for the future.  Read more now online.

Getting Involved

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

• Flexible – Miscellaneous punch-list items from various recent projects. Need basic carpentry skills and tools. To volunteer, contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Flexible  – 1-2 volunteers needed to provide gutter repairs for a ranch-style home in Silver Spring. Contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Flexible – 1 volunteer needed to rebuild 4-5 window screen frames for a family on the Gaithersburg/Rockville border. Contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Flexible - 2 volunteers with carpentry skills needed to install wooden porch columns and repair a fence gate for a home in Silver Spring. Contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Flexible - 2-3 volunteers needed to lay topsoil and install a wood stair rail at a home in Silver Spring. Contact Scot Weeks at sweeks@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Ongoing – Volunteers needed to work with homeowners who struggle with excessive clutter. Contact Kathy at KThrower@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Ongoing – administrative work in the RTMC office including filing, database entry, etc. – contact Kathy Thrower at kthrower@rebuildingtogethermc.org
• Ongoing – every third Saturday of the month, RTMC partners with Hearts & Hands to participate in a small community project. If you’d like to be involved, please contact Chris Hoffman at: jhoffman@geico.com

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
• VACATION OR BUSINESS: 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 spend the holidays with your family, go to: http://www.ytbtravel.com/rebuildingtogether