Arlington Community Federal Credit Union (ACFCU) presented RT-AFF with a grant of $10,000 based on our shared visions for safe housing in Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church. ACFCU CEO Karen L. Rosales presented the grant on Saturday, March 19 and visited a project where our RT Express volunteers were making health and safety repairs for Mrs. S. The grant is for general operations and provides unrestricted funding to RT-AFF. "It is a great pleasure to welcome ACFCU as a new partner in our mission of rebuilding homes to restore safety and well-being for our neighbors in need," said Patti Klein. "It's clear that they share in our commitment and enthusiasm in helping communities improve and thrive through direct action. This generous grant has already made an impact for one longtime Arlington homeowner and it will allow us to help other neighbors who are waiting for critical repairs and life-saving fall prevention."

ACFCU gives back beyond monetary grants. They also provide financial education programs for schools and nonprofits, long-term partnerships with local organizations and help community members reach their financial goals.

Bob Austin, a longtime Rebuilding Together-AFF volunteer was honored with the Bernie L. Bates Foundation Privilege Award for 2022. This is the highest form of recognition bestowed by the Board of Directors of the Foundation and was presented to Bob for his outstanding service to the Fairfax County community. This year's award recognizes a person who most closely follows the tenets and principals practiced by the late Col. (Ret.) Marion "Barney" Barnwell. Barney served on the RT-AFF board and as a House Captain for more than 30 National Rebuilding Day projects. Barney consistently demonstrated his passion to "pay it forward" through his community involvement and volunteerism.

Bob's lifelong service to others epitomizes the example that Barney set for us all in helping others at every opportunity.

Bob started volunteering with us 18 years ago as a member of his church team for National Rebuilding Day. After retiring he joined our pool of skilled individual volunteers and started volunteering with us year-round. read more....

Mrs. S wants to continue to age in place in the home and neighborhood she loves, and where five generations of her family have lived. Our work involved making her home dry, keeping her safe from falls, and keeping her home free of contaminants. We needed to move rain water away from the foundation of her home so our volunteer team dug a trench and connected a drainage pipe with a pop-up emitter to her downspout. To keep Mrs. S. safe from falls in her bathroom our team installed two grab bars, a hand held shower, a comfort height toilet and brighter lighting. We also installed a new flue on the water heater because the old one wasn't sloped correctly and could have allowed a back draft of carbon monoxide in her kitchen - this was a critical safety improvement that is often not apparent to a homeowner. Mrs. S. was very pleased with all the help and several family members who were in the neighborhood for a funeral stopped by to say hello and thank the volunteers for making her home safe and healthy. Click here to see more pictures from the work day on our Flickr.

If you had to choose, would you pay for a medicine or pay for a plumber? Would you feed the family or fix your leaky gutters? These are choices our low-income neighbors have to make every day. We can help make these choices easier together. Please contribute today so Rebuilding Together -AFF can continue to provide free home repairs and modifications for our neighbors in need.

Support Rebuilding Together - AFF through the Combined Federal Campaign by designating #57363. Federal and Military employees and retirees can support our work via payroll or retirement annuity deduction. You can find the CFC pledge forms and other materials here.