Volunteer Shout Out

A big hearty Thank You to Chuck Rhodes, individual volunteer from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, for his help on a recent bathroom conversion with the Year Round Repair Program.

"Chuck helps out on almost every project Rebuilding Together does," says Executive Director Emily Stern. "Often, I don't even know he's going to show up! He's just there, working his tail off!"

Chuck is extremely and uniquely generous with his time, always willing to step in when there is need. He has shown himself time and again to be a dependable, hardworking, and amiable volunteer; he has been a crucial component to the success of so many RTA projects.
Thanks for all your hard work!

Highlighted Sponsor of the Month

Last standing Lowe's crew and children of the home

For National Make a Difference Day (October 23), four area Lowe's stores joined forces and rebuilt the home of a single mother of five in Aurora. The team, consisting of about 25 volunteers spent seven straight days repainting the inside and out, refinishing floors, modifying the basement, clearing the yard, repairing windows, storm doors, and gutters, remodeling the kitchen, and repairing concrete steps. The diligent Lowe's team, led by Bob Hyde (sales associate at Lowes Oswego) and Daniella Gibson (HR Manager at Lowes Aurora) went above and beyond by surprising this very deserving family with a new washer, dryer, and range in addition to toys and air mattresses for the basement. The project was a fantastic success and evidenced the unbridled generosity of Lowe's and its staff. 

Learn more about Lowe's dedication to community here.

Dave Bellis named Board Member of the Year

We are pleased to announced that David Bellis, Immediate Past President and Board Member of RTA, is Rebuilding Together’s Board Member of the Year! This award, presented to David on November 13^th at Rebuilding Together’s National Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada, recognized the hard work and tireless dedication David has provided Rebuilding Together for the past 8 years.

Rebuilding Together is the nation’s leading non-profit working to preserve affordable homeownership for low-income homeowners. There are 206 Rebuilding Together affiliates serving throughout the nation. David was selected as the 2010 Board Member of the Year by his peers throughout the nationwide affiliate network.

David joined Rebuilding Together Aurora as a board member in 2003. He quickly was elected President and served as the President of the organization until May of 2010. Under his leadership, Rebuilding Together Aurora was able to greatly increase their efforts and help countless families through important home repair assistance. David remains on the Rebuilding Together Aurora Board of Directors.

“I couldn’t think of a more deserving person than Dave Bellis to receive this award. There are few people in our organization’s network that weren’t recruited by Dave. There are even fewer that weren’t inspired by his passion and dedication to serve low-income homeowners in need of important home repair assistance. He has a huge heart, a humble desire to serve, and a dedicated commitment to helping those in need. He is an inspiration to many,” stated Rebuilding Together Aurora’s Executive Director, Emily Stern.

David is a Partner and Financial Adviser at Bellis & Associates Financial Services in Warrenville. He resides in Naperville with his wife of 41 years. He is the proud father of three and grandfather of three.  He is actively involved in his church, Good Shepherd Lutheran of Naperville.