New Orleans Nonprofit Spotlight: Rebuilding Together’s Annual October Build

October 6th, 2016 by Search Influence Alumni

October is one of my favorite times of year. Reason 1: It’s the beginning of fall (though only a mild change from the normal New Orleans heat). Reason 2: It’s Halloween-month, of course. And reason 3: I get to take part in Rebuilding Together New Orleans‘s October Build.

About Rebuilding Together New Orleans and October Build

October Build is an annual event organized by Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO), a New Orleans Preservation Resource Center program and chapter of the national Rebuilding Together organization. They’ve worked since 1988 to help local elderly, disabled, veteran, and single head of household homeowners repair their homes. RTNO services seven neighborhoods in New Orleans year round.

Check out my original post for Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ 25th Annual October Build to learn more about the history of the organization and the event.

Getting Ready for October Build 2016

For two weekends, I take a brief respite from my somewhat sedentary lifestyle, and join hundreds of volunteers in providing necessary home repairs to local homeowners who otherwise are unable to do it themselves.

What’s more, this year a few other Search Influence employees and I started work early! While October Build takes place October 7, 8, 14, and 15, we were able to help prep Mr. Ernest Watson’s house this past weekend for volunteers to finish during October Build. We met up at 8:30 AM on-site and worked with Rebuilding Together’s own Americorps and employees to scrape paint and prime the Bywater house. While I’m by no means a skilled laborer, RT’s members also worked on replacing fascia and siding that had been damaged by fire or was rotting.

*Fun fact: Fascia are the bands of boards directly under the roof edge.

Employees at Rebuilding Together New Orleans have been working tirelessly for months to coordinate volunteers and houses for October Build. This past weekend was just one of the many pieces of prep necessary to get these houses ready for volunteers of all skill levels.

Next weekend and the one after, these volunteers from sponsor organizations, local businesses, and other local & national groups will gather to finish repairs on 8 different houses. The work will range from scraping and painting to flooring installation and accessibility ramp building in one huge community effort.

For more information about this year’s event, check out RTNO’s own October Build 2016 news post. Here, you’ll find stories about the homeowners they’re helping (including Mr. Watson’s) and how you can contribute!

Rebuilding Together New Orleans Images Credit