PrepWork

... can be tiring but a whole lot of fun.
A HUGE thanks is due to the volunteers from Youth Build and College of DuPage architecture department for their two Saturdays of prep work. Despite the cold, wet, windy weather on Day 1, the 16 volunteers spent the morning singing and scraping. With sunshine and warm weather on Day 2, our volunteers blasted through a VERY large project in record time-- with much thanks to the early morning set up help we received from the homeowner's family!

Check out more of the work-in-action on the PrepWork Picasa Album.


College of DuPage volunteer gets to work despite the cold weather


YouthBuild saved the day by spending the entire morning on tall ladders.


Folding plastic like a Wet Burrito!

Volunteer Shout Out

A huge rowdy THANK YOU to the outstanding efforts by Jason Ball for the Calamos Earth Day project. Jason went above and beyond in helping prep for the landscaping project by collecting mulch in a late night thunderstorm, building and donating flower boxes, and pulling more than his weight on the project site.

His efforts were very much appreciated on site. As RTA project coordinator Erin Carlisle said, "Jason was like the Incredible Hulk when he lifted the railroad ties and threw them over the fence. He had help, but Jason basically carried those trees himself."

Thanks Jason!

Earth Day!

This morning, a handful of volunteers joined RTA to celebrate Earth Day by landscaping for one of our previous Year Round homeowners, a disabled senior who spent her life as a foster parent and active community volunteer.

A special thanks to Mae Calamos for spending the morning with our crew; she presented RTA with a generous donation on behalf of Hotel Arista in support of our Earth Day project and April Rebuilding Event.

Thank you to our hardworking volunteer crew: Mark Aguirre, Jason Ball, Kathy Beedle, Erin Carlise, Matt Horton, Patrick Rogers, and Emily Stern!

Check out the project photo album.


Mae Calamos visited the site to present her donation and meet RTA members Patrick Rogers and Emily Stern


Patrick Rogers, Jason Ball, and Erin Carlisle enjoying the satisfaction of a completed job


The finished garden

Reminder!

Just a reminder that the Volunteer Appreciation BBQ - including complimentary bbq dinner, cash bar, and awesome fundraising raffle will be May 7 from 5 - 8 PM at the Aurora Turner's Club.

Join us to celebrate a job well done and relax after a long, hard day of rebuilding!

Drum Roll Please....

The new newsletter is out!



Highlights include:

• We are pleased to announce that the 2011 April Rebuilding Event will be provide assistance to 33 households!
• "Like" Arista Hotels on FaceBook and RTA will receive $1,000 for an upcoming project if they get 1000 fans by Earth Day (April 22)!
• There are THREE upcoming volunteer opportunities for individuals and families-- April 16, April 21, and May 7!
• Purchase raffle tickets for the May 7 Volunteer Appreciation BBQ in advance from Emily Stern or any RTA board member! The cost is $3 / ticket or 4 tickets / $10. Prizes include, but are not limited to: 4 sponsor tent tickets to Ribfest 2011, 4 sponsor tent tickets to the Naperville Last Fling 2011, 4 White Sox tickets, a foursome of golf at Orchard Valley Golfcourse, and many more!

See what else we've been up to by viewing the newsletter here.
Want to start receiving the e-newsletter? Let us know - rtaoutreach@gmail.com

Volunteer Shout Out

Boyscout Troop 53 did an outstanding job last Saturday, and RTA appreciates every ounce of effort given by the members and their leaders. The troop was one of the most focused, hardworking, and reliable groups of youth RTA has had the pleasure to work with.

While every member deserves a pat on the back, a very hearty extra Thank You is due to David Castillo, Boyscout Troop 53 member for his work at Union Street. When asked what made David really stand out during the project day, John Aguilar, troop leader, said that David was "really focused. He took charge of painting the deck; he didn't need direction and stayed motivated til the very end of the day."

A few of the members at work

Kiwanis One Day

Aurora Noon Kiwanis teamed up with Boy Scout Troop 53 and Quad County Urban League's Youth Build program to kick off our April Rebuilding Event and provide home repairs for 2 families in Ward 3. The first time partnership was an overwhelming success, with over 80 volunteers and few surprises-- a welcome rarity in home repair!

Both projects were Captained by Erin Carlisle, RTA Staff, and coordinated in conjunction with Mike Frankino (Kiwanis), Patrick Devine (Kiwanis), Emily Stern (RTA Executive Director), and Laura Mast (RTA Staff).

From Hinman


From South Union

Volunteer Shout Out

Doug Carlisle, Production Lead of Construction at ServPro of Lombard in Addison, was nominated by Mike Frankino of the Aurora Noon Kiwanis group for his outstanding energy, cool head in the face of unexpected challenges, and overall contribution to the project last Saturday. As Frankino wrote:

Clearly, Doug Carlisle was the guy for the day at Hinman Street. Although he was not a Kiwanian, I feel he made the most impact on the project. With his experience, he helped turn that scary-looking situation with the front stairs into a sensible project for he and a few helpers.


An additional nod must be given to two Kiwanians for their dedication to the projects: Hal Beebee and Dave Bohman.

"Through Hal's efforts for the day in working on the front porch, on top of the trailer full of tools he brought, he shined," writes Frankino.

"Dave spent a lot of time with me before the day of the project discussing what tools he could bring from his expansive collection. He then proceeded to load up his truck with tools, which he brought to the job site. Dave immediately identified the garage door as needing a lot of help. It was simply hanging there, off its track, upon our arrival that morning. This was an extra project not identified on our list of project to do. I almost took him off of it in order to be assured we would finish the list we had made, but changed my mind when I saw how passionate about making this right. This was a tremendous thing to add, and then complete, for the sake of these property owners."

It's April...

... And that means the Rebuilding Race is on!

We are pleased to announce that this month, Rebuilding Together Aurora will be teaming up with 50 community partners to provide home repairs for 33 families.

We kicked off the month with two projects in Ward 3. Aurora Noon Kiwanis hosted their annual "one day" in partnership with Quad County Urban League Youth Build program and Boyscout Troop 53. See our Volunteer Shout Outs to meet some of the incredible people that gave their time and hard work to support our mission last Saturday. We will be highlighting an incredible volunteer every week this month to celebrate service!

Read up on these projects here:

The Beacon News

And kind letters from those who support us, like:
State Representative Linda Chapa La Via and The Dunham Fund!