2008 STORIES:

Wachovia Volunteers Continue the Tradition with
Rebuilding Together Oakland

Wachovia is a generous supporter of the mission of Rebuilding Together Oakland, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner.  The Wachovia team worked on the home of Doris, who was widowed at a young age and raised her two children alone. After the tragic loss of her sister, she took in her three nieces and nephews. The team was delighted to have the opportunity to make her home more comfortable for her.

"Rebuilding Together Day has been a long standing volunteer tradition, so we are thrilled that Wachovia's merger with World Savings has enabled this dedicated group of volunteers to continue this legacy," shared Michelle Gadker, the Senior Advisor of the new volunteer chapter.  Andrea Ronzani and Reymundo Ocañas provided early leadership and support of the Rebuilding Day by attending our team leader meetings in the winter.

Michelle Gadker, Kristine Sandbach, James Deas and Andrea Ronzani served as the Volunteer Captains for the two-weekend house project in the Sobrante Park neighborhood in Oakland.  They were joined by a mix of employees from the various lines of business now operating in Northern California, including James Reeve and his Business Performance team who chose the Rebuilding Together event as their quarterly teambuilding activity.

Team Wachovia, including House Captains Harris Miller and Ed Leahy and Volunteer Coordinator, Andrea Ronzani

A Chairlift For Harriet

When Cannon Constructors' Senior Superintendent Ken Kuhn asked, “What are you going to have us on work on this year?” team RTO knew just the house for the Cannon team.  Although RTO shares office space with Cannon Constructors, who is building the impressive Cannery Lofts in West Oakland, we recently discovered the huge hearts of this stellar group of skilled volunteers.  

Last year, Kuhn and his talented team transformed the home of Mrs. Crain and were featured in our RTO video which can be viewed on U-Tube.  This year, RTO challenged Kuhn and his team to restore the crumbling home of Harriet, a wheelchair bound home owner in Oakland.  Her disability kept her from leaving her home and she could only leave with the help of paramedics.  Her concrete front steps were useless and the house could not accommodate a wheelchair ramp.  In addition to the lack of accessibility, the roof had failed and most of the windows were inoperable and leaking, which caused major damage to her walls, ceiling and floors.  The kitchen and bathroom were also in complete disrepair.

The Cannon team embarked on a multiple week project.  They demolished and rebuilt the outside stairs so it could accommodate an electric chair lift that was funded by a grant from Lowe's.  Harriet can now leave her home of her own accord.  Cannon also repaired the walls and many of the windows.  A team from Centimark Roofing donated materials and labor to replace the roof, and student service groups from Oakland Tech, U.C. Berkeley, and SF State helped remove quite a bit of debris and clutter from the home. 

One again, Cannon Constructors stepped up to help us out on a “heavy” house.  Thank you Ken, Laird and the rest of the Cannon team!

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Harriet sits in her electric chairlift, built by Cannon Constructors

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Tom Judt – A Super Volunteer

Every year the staff and board of RTO hears about a project that elicits the collective response of “wow!”  This year, with several hundred hours of volunteers’ commitment, dedication, hard work, like that of Tom Judt, General Contractor, RTO saved the house of a woman requiring a wheelchair whose house had fallen into such disrepair that it was condemned.  A house requiring that much work is beyond the scope of what RTO and a group of volunteers can accomplish over a couple of Saturdays in April.

Over the course of three months, Tom volunteered over 200 hours of personal time transforming this condemned home to a place of safety, comfort and pride for the homeowner, Macheryl. To appreciate the full scope of this project, we have to rewind the tape back to January 2008 when board member David Brown assembled a team to tackle this house.

Before any hammer could strike a nail, a team from Morrison & Forrester provided pro-bono services to clear up legal issues around the property.  Once that hurdle was cleared Gary Struthers, another long time RTO volunteer and licensed architect drew up plans needed for the building permit.  With legal and regulatory obstacles cleared, Tom Judt stepped up to the plate and hit a major league home run for Macheryl. Tom and a group of volunteers jump-started the project by gutting the back end of the house, removing the damaged beams and wall sections and reframing it all in just 2 days.  Tom also had the help of Ed Leahy, RTO lead volunteer for our Safe-At-Home program, who worked with him running copper pipe, new electrical wires, framing and installing drain pipes.  He also had the volunteer hours and support of Pipe Spy, Berkeley Plastering and the good folks of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

When asked why he volunteers, Tom replied.  “It’s what I do, help people fix their houses. Sometimes I get paid and that’s a good thing too. Honestly it really is important work, life changing for some people. I don’t mean to sound cliché but I really believe in what Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ That, and Robert Kennedy said something about ‘Each time a man does something good for others it sends out a tiny ripple of hope.’   Stuff like that really means something to me.”

Cheers to Tom and all the volunteers on Macheryl's house.  You were more than a ripple of hope -- Macheryl said you saved her life!

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Uber Volunteer Tom Judt

 

Skanska Rocks Harbor House

It was a made for TV complete makeover for Harbor House, a 100 yr. old Victorian home-turned community center, located in the diverse and vibrant San Antonio neighborhood in Oakland.  The 85-member Skanska team, a hard-working group of employees, family and friends, the environmental engineers of Arcadis and the entire staff of the Harbor House, braved the heat to give Harbor House a miraculous transformation.

According to House Captain Bill Bunch, the Skanska team really enjoys working on community center projects.  The Harbor House project tasks included prepping the exterior and interior for painting; removing debris and landscaping of the property; revamping the basketball court with new hoops and painting the lines on the court; building a new trash enclosure; enhancing the parking area; installing all exterior lights; installing new doors; and laying new carpeting. 

No sweat for this team. They really know how to have a work party.  The team took a relaxing lunch break, rocking out to the tunes of the Safety volunteer’s husband’s classic rock band.

The Harbor House started off nearly 35 years ago as one school teacher’s vision, a place for kids to come and be tutored after school. Since then, it has grown over the years to serve 100,000 people in spiritual, economic, and educational development.  Harbor House says “Thank You Skanska Team…You Rock!”

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Volunteers from Skanska, Arcadis and the Harbor House