A small group of grassroots activists in Midland, Texas has spread hope to homeowners in need, providing critical home repairs free of charge. Since its inspiring start 30 years ago, Rebuilding Together has grown to a nationwide network of 3.4 million volunteers who have delivered services worth $1.3 billion to families, the elderly, veterans and community centers.
A small group of grassroots activists in Midland, Texas has spread hope to homeowners in need, providing critical home repairs free of charge. Since its inspiring start 30 years ago, "Rebuilding Together" has grown to a nationwide network of 3.4 million volunteers who have delivered services worth $1.3 billion to families, the elderly, veterans and community centers.
Realizing their neighbors' homes had fallen into disrepair, the original group in Texas with the help of local banks pooled their labor and skill and to set about to fix the problem.
This simple act of neighbors helping neighbors inspired others, spread slowly, and then across the country — with the help of larger corporate partners — which eventually led to the opening of the Rebuilding Together National Headquarters in 1988.
Today, Rebuilding Together consists of 200 chapters throughout the United States that have completed work on more than 100,000 homes, some left damaged by natural disasters.
The goodwill of volunteers is matched by the charity and energy provided by corporate partners, like TD Bank, Sears, Lowes, Safeway, which not only provide materials and financial support but enlist employees and their families to join the rebuilding army. The teams also retrofit homes to become more energy efficient for those who can't afford their heating bills.
Governments too, support the effort through federal agencies and groups like the AmeriCorps service members. Even professional sports are involved, through NBA Cares and a partnership with the MLB All-Star Game.
Visit their website to learn how you can get involved in your local city by grabbing a paint brush or hammer: RebuildingTogether.org/how-you-can-help
WATCH both videos below which beautifully illustrate how corporations step up to help and how communities, like the one in Philadelphia, are uplifted in many ways — their spirits, their homes and their health.
A New York college student who started a blog on self-acceptance in order to help other young women deal with body image taunts has become a viral hero to many for her frank and powerful online discussion about her weight.
A US soldier who was involved in a firefight in Iraq is seeking redemption and forgiveness from an Iraqi family that lost three members in that chaotic gun battle. In the midst of the battle, his unit opened fire on three cars killing the drivers, all members of the Kachadoorian family who drove into the intersection. Since then, the Marine has become like a son to the family, visiting several times and talking often by phone.
They say a problem shared is a problem halved. Now a team of psychologists in the USA has performed a series of studies that suggest sharing your good news multiplies its benefits for your happiness and longer-term life satisfaction.
126 years to the day since the copper lady was first unveiled in New York City's harbor, and after a year-long renovation, the Statue Of Liberty is set to receive visitors once again inside her crown. A ceremony on October 28 marked the reopening of the statue's crown and new access to a lower observation deck for the first time to visitors with disabilities.
An expanding body of research suggests people's moral compasses are active far earlier than previously thought. Young children and even babies demonstrate attributes such as generosity, empathy and a sense of justice, indicating that far from being born as clean slates, humans seem to have innate altruistic tendencies and are able to make moral choices at a remarkably young age.
Bleary-eyed drivers entering Washington, DC on Monday mornings, are jolted into happiness by people waving with signs with optimistic slogans from the side of the road. Held by 29-year-old Massoud Adibpour and 4 other volunteers, the signs were scrawled with uplifting messages: "Honk if you love someone!"; "Be happy"; "Don't be so hard on yourself"; and, "Smile!"
A Scottish skipper has set a new world record after finding a message in a bottle 98 years after it was released. Not only that, he found the bottle while skippering the same fishing boat which had set the previous record, the Shetland-based vessel Copious.
The Davis community in California with help from Giant Bicycles has come together to create a heartwarming final chapter for a cross-country bicycle rider in route for her charity, Bike and Build, which raises money for low cost housing projects in the U.S.
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