Lowes Sponsor Shout Out

The Lowe's Team still in good spirits at the end of the day

The Aurora and Oswego Lowe's stores teamed up to repaint the exterior of a (rather large) home last Saturday for a Vietnam veteran. The homeowner, cited for both unsightly paint and damage to his garage roof, is an active community member and spent much of the day sharing his story with volunteers. He was delighted by the quality of work the team provided and overwhelmed by the number of volunteers that came out to help.

The crew powered through the long day with exceptional spirit despite a lunchtime downpour of rain and hail. Instead of taking cover under scaffolding or lunching in warm cars, several volunteers simply moved underneath awnings and continued to paint, insisting that "the more we do now, the faster we'll be done!"

Denny Fulkrod, HR Manager at the Aurora Lowe's store and the project's House Captain reflected that "it was a great experience. We were all exhausted at the end of the day but with a real sense that we had given back to the community that helps keep our doors open everyday."

"I want to thank all the associates from the Aurora and Oswego stores that not only came out and helped paint, but I also want to thank those associates that stayed back at the stores to ensure our customers could be taken care of."


Lots of volunteers and one very fun machine


Installing new storm windows


Happy when the sun came out!

More photos can be seen here: 824 Benton album

Sponsor Shout Out

The Cat Team

A 19 person team from Caterpillar joined RTA on Wednesday, September 7 as part of the Unite Way Day of Service to prepare a East-side home for painting. The homeowner, Mr Newman, is a VietNam (US Navy) veteran who has been active in the community for many years as a public speaker and entertainer; this home, where he grew up and his mother passed, has been in his family for nearly 100 years. Mr Newman applied to RTA for assistance at the encouragement of his Alderman after receiving a city citation for unsightly exterior paint and a decaying garage. RTA has struck a unique partnership with several community organizations to repair these issues.

Work will continue on his home throughout the rest of the month as volunteer teams join forces to make the much needed repairs a reality.

Thank you to everyone from Caterpillar, one of our hardest working, most dedicated and enjoyable volunteer groups to help on a Special Project! We especially respect those brave souls who donned full tyvek lead-safe suits while working. You rock!


Brave soul

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Clean Up

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

Sponsor Shout Out

This is a bit old, but we recently found photos from Affordable Roofing's 2009 April Rebuilding Event Project. Affordable does amazing work for us and is one of our most dependable sponsor and volunteer groups. They have been our partner for 15 years and have contributed over $50,000 to our organization in in-kind donations and labor.

Thanks guys!

Thanks Jaycees!

In true Jaycees fashion, the Naperville crew presented Rebuilding Together Aurora with a giant check for $5000 on Tuesday. The Naperville Jaycees are sponsoring another house this April and we are excited to welcome back such an energetic group of community members.



Also remember to check out Clay Sander & friends on Friday Feb 25 and Saturday Feb 26 at Comedy Night and meet some of their amazing members!

On the tenth day...

...We are are proud to highlight ten new groups that partnered with us for the 2010 April Rebuilding Event


Evening Lions Club
Community 4:12
Orchard Valley
Geneva United Methodist Church
Fox Valley Presbyterian
New World Restorations
Monarch Landing
Grainger
Sikich
American Society for Interior Designers

Thank you to all our sponsors and partner groups, and welcome to the family!

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.