Our Mission:
Repairing Homes, Revitalizing Communities and Rebuilding Lives
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A Note From Our Executive Director |
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Hello Friends!
Happy spring! Please know how grateful we are to you for supporting our mission to provide free critical home repairs and accessibility modifications to the most vulnerable homeowners in Montgomery County. Despite the many challenges associated with the pandemic, with your support, the RTMC team has now completed critical home repairs for 115 neighbors in need this fiscal year. With so much community support over the last 30 years, thanks to all of you, RTMC has helped more than 2,500 vulnerable homeowners and engaged more than 50,000 volunteers through our “neighbor-helping-neighbor” approach.
We recently celebrated Women in Construction Week and I want to recognize and thank the many strong women leaders at RTMC, including: Nancy Floreen, Lindsay Luhn, Joni Keaton, Kristen Miller, Christina Devlin, Carol Shoemaker, Pazit Aviv, Lee Garner, Caitlin Grant, Andra Henning, Carmen Larsen, Jean Sperling, and Francene Walker!
Have you been keeping up with RTMC in the news? The Emanuel House, a fabulous project to serve formerly homeless women and their children, was recently featured in Bethesda Magazine on pages 214-219. RTMC was delighted to lend a hand to help renovate the home. We are also proud to have been featured in the Affordable Housing Conference of Montgomery County’s Winter 2020/2021 Journal on page 39. Click here to access the full pdf! RTMC also has a number of wonderful events coming up which you can read about below.
Thank you for continuing to support our mission as we navigate these uncertain times. We miss our volunteers and we look forward to engaging all of you when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy.
All the best,
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Maury Peterson
Executive Director
P.S. If you’re a past volunteer, board member, homeowner, or friend of Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, let's connect! Send me an email or add me on LinkedIn.
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Spotlight on a [Re]Builder: Roger Rothman
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Roger Rothman (pictured above on the far right) is a treasure in our organization and a longtime friend of RTMC. A psychotherapist by profession, Roger has been a DMV resident for 46 years. He has been an active volunteer with RTMC for more than a quarter of a century and his dedication to furthering our mission and serving vulnerable homeowners has been astounding. Over the years, Roger has served in a variety of volunteer capacities, including House Captain, RTMC Board Member and Board President. He leads volunteers from his synagogue, Temple Beth Ami, every year during National Rebuilding Day and, together, they have helped countless neighbors in need over the years. Roger truly goes the extra mile and even sends out an annual year end appeal to his friends and family to encourage them to donate to RTMC. Thanks to Roger’s efforts, thousands of funds have been raised to support our mission.
So what keeps Roger coming back year after year to help? According to Roger, “Coming back every year is two fold. It is very rewarding to see these projects work out and be successful but we also see a huge impact on the homeowners and volunteers involved. Everyone is incredibly grateful. That’s what brings my volunteers back too.”
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Keeping Up With The Program Team |
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RTMC is a proud member of the Life Long Homes Coalition (LLHC), a housing focused coalition that provides social services and connections to community residents. The group is led by Pazit Aviv, an RTMC Board Member and the Village Coordinator at the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services. In addition to RTMC, members include Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, Village of Takoma Park, Silver Spring Village and Montgomery College.
“Villages” are local, grassroots neighborhood organizations that aim to support community members. They foster social connections through activities and events and coordinate volunteer help at home using a neighbor helping neighbor model.
Our goal is to build partnerships with more Villages throughout Montgomery County and help neighbors in need access home repair services through Rebuilding Together Montgomery County and Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. Ultimately, through our efforts, we strive to improve physical and mental health, create safer living spaces, reduce falls and injuries, foster greater independence and ability to age in place, increase homeowner pride, and ultimately build stronger communities.
This month, our AmeriCorps Client Outreach Coordinator, Joni Keaton, partnered with staff from Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland to lead a presentation informing Village members about the Life Long Homes Coalition and available home repair resources.
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She Builds with ABC Metro & Women Building Washington Coming is May 6 & 7! |
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Women-led and women-focused, She Builds is a RTMC program that provides critical home repairs for women-headed households and women-focused community spaces to empower women to maintain safe and healthy homes, to make a difference in their communities and to build a supportive community network. RTMC’s next She Builds, in partnership with ABC Metro Washington and Women Building Washington, will take place on May 6 and 7.
Our upcoming She Builds project site is Becky's House in Rockville, an Interfaith Works program that provides a safe, welcoming residential environment for senior women with disabilities, many of whom previously experienced decades of homelessness. The ladies served receive 24-hour oversight and intensive case management to improve their overall health and stability. The She Builds team will make both interior and exterior enhancements to improve the functionality of the home.
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Recognizing GAC Services and Get-A-Grip Construction Services! |
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WIth many of our volunteers not available to help during the pandemic, RTMC is grateful for our contractor partners who have gone above and beyond to serve vulnerable homeowners during these unprecedented times. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Richard Biava and Keith Atkinson of GAC Services and their exemplary team for their dedication to providing superior HVAC and electrical services to so many of our neighbors in need.
Recently, the GAC Services team sprang into action after RTMC AmeriCorps Client Outreach Coordinator Joni Keaton learned of an emergency repair needed for a vulnerable homeowner. Two concerned and caring sisters called us to let us know their brother, Mr. T., was scheduled to return home from a rehab hospital but his home had no working heat during a bitter cold spell. In less than 48 hours, with support from RTMC AmeriCorps Program Coordinator Kristen Miller (pictured above), the GAC team was able to assess the situation and install a brand new heating system just in time for Mr. T’s arrival home. Mr. T. is now safe and warm at home and the whole family is grateful for our teamwork and support.
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Special thanks to the team at Get-A-Grip Construction Services for providing critical home repairs and accessibility modifications to our neighbors in need, Mr. and Mrs. W.
Mr. W. is prone to falling and has struggled to safely enter and exit his home he has shared with his wife of 50 years. With the help from the Get-A-Grip team, we were able to modify the family’s tub to make it safer and easier to access, afix seven grab bars and install a safety ramp from the front door. The Get-A-Grip Construction Services team went above and beyond to obtain the specific equipment needed to keep these neighbors safely in their home hopefully for many more years to come.
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Please SAVE THE DATES
and join us at our 2021 events:
While the need for Rebuilding Together Montgomery County’s critical home repair services has never been greater, the good news is that, TOGETHER, we can help our vulnerable neighbors in need!
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RTMC Rebuilding Weekend
September 11 and 12, 2021
Please join us for RTMC's Rebuilding Weekend on September 11/12, 2021. Our goal is to provide critical home repairs to 20 vulnerable homeowners in Montgomery County during that weekend. All volunteers and corporate and faith-based groups are welcome. View info linked below.
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RTMC Golf Tournament
October 4, 2021 at Bretton Woods Golf Course
Save the date and join us as we swing for a great cause and raise funds to help provide critical home repairs and accessibility modifications to our neighbors in need. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please email Maury at mpeterson@rebuildingtogethermc.org.
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About Us
Rebuilding Together Montgomery County (RTMC) provides critical home repairs, accessibility modifications and links to community resources for our most vulnerable neighbors, including seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. Since 1990, RTMC has served more than 2,500 homeowners and engaged 50,000 volunteers to help our neighbors stay in their homes.
18225-A Flower Hill Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20879
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