A Spirit of Service

Like so many in our community, the RTKC Team is still shaken by the news of Tom Eager's passing earlier this month. A Worton resident and tireless volunteer, Tom was the embodiment of service. The countless repair projects he did for our neighbors, his leadership at Homeports, and his involvement at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown (where we had our office for 19 years), were an inspiration. Tom had a generous heart and kindness radiated from him every time we interacted. He never minded that he had just popped into our office to see if our temperature was fine, knowing he’d walk out with at least one assignment to repair steps, construct handrails, or install a grab bar for a neighbor in need of assistance. He was unruffled, steady and humble; we feel his absence every day. Tom’s service will be help at 10am on Tuesday, July 25th at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, 905 Gateway Drive.

I am so grateful for all our volunteers, without whom we could not work toward safes homes and communities for all of our neighbors. It is always difficult to lose someone, but I know that Tom’s spirit lives on in the memories of the countless lives he touched here in our community, as well as in the wider world. I am honored to have worked with him for a short time and will continue to see him as a role model in our work.

Sending a fondest farewell to a true Gentleman,
Genevieve Croker, Executive Director

December 2022

My name is Simon Risell, I am a senior and an anthropology and sociology double major at Washington College. Over the course of this fall semester, I had the privilege of working as an intern at Rebuilding Together Kent County (RTKC) here in Chestertown, MD. My education is all about understanding and finding empathy and connection with people and valuing unique perspectives and experiences. And speaking as someone who has always and continues to have a deep interest and passion for nonprofit work, it meant a lot for me to get involved with RTKC in this way. Through the time I spent with the members of RTKC and completing my various tasks and learning goals of the last few months, I discovered just how much hard work and thoughtfulness goes in to being a part of a community-oriented effort. I also discovered just how enriching and meaningful it is to get involved and build relationships with your community.

One of my biggest tasks was helping run part of the Giving Tuesday campaign on Facebook and we were successful in hitting our goal this year. Working with Rebuilding Together Kent County for my internship experience through the college only strengthened my interest and dedication to nonprofit work following my education. It is my hope that I can take what I learned from this experience and allow it to nourish my aptitude for doing the work to uplift the communities I surround myself with in the future. If I could take one key lesson from my time at RTKC, it would be this: when all the members of a community recognize all the capacity they hold to support each other, the possibilities are endless. 

- Simon R., Senior at Washington College

August 2022

We've had a tremendous series of volunteer and contracted projects going over the summer months, including scoring our third free roof for a Kent County veteran from the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project! In a few short months, 21 volunteers donated 180 hours of time and skill to build steps, handrails and make other repairs to prevent our neighbors falling at home. We are grateful to The Dixon Group and Shore United Bank for supporting these volunteer projects.

We also received our first grant from the Qlarant Foundation, an organization that has been working for more than 45 years to improve health care and human services. We are grateful for the funding and the opportunity to connect with other amazing people working to improve the quality of life for Marylanders.

Through a rural capacity building grant, I was able to attend a leadership conference in Minneapolis in July. I joined about 60 other staff and board members from Rebuilding Together affiliates across the country to explore tools of community collaboration that we can utilize to grow our local impact. I look forward to implementing lessons learned as we continue to work toward safer homes and communities for all our neighbors.

Warm Regards,
~ Genevieve

January 2022 - A new year!

“Repairing homes, revitalizing communities, rebuilding lives”

That’s our mission statement and over the past several years, Rebuilding Together Kent County has invested over $250,000 in making our neighbors’ homes safer and healthier. The above two articles demonstrate just how much Rebuilding Together Kent County is needed more than ever before.

• In 2021, we began the year with a robust volunteer-led National Rebuilding Day in April with critical home repairs for four neighbors in Butlertown.

• Over the summer months, we did repairs primarily using contractors. Roofs, bathrooms, ramps, decks, doors, insulation and flooring were some of the critical home repairs we did for our neighbors.

As our funding has increased, we have invested more - on average - in every home we touch. Being able to do more extensive repairs means we are addressing multiple safety and health issues for each neighbor we assist.

• In September we were notified we were awarded a Housing Preservation Grant from USDA Rural Development and in December we were awarded a grant from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust. This is the third straight year we have obtained this funding!

• This past fall we were awarded a Community Excellence Award from the Kent county Chamber of Commerce and were given a Special Recognition Award by the MidShore Community Foundation.

Our annual fall campaign was a success as we surpassed the goal before the end of the year.

• Way back in 2018, we were awarded a four-year Rural Capacity Building Grant from HUD. This grant was to be utilized in creating the foundation for a sustainable organization. The funding could not be used to repair homes. We invested in updated hardware and software. We purchased a more robust data management system and invested in several half-time employees to nurture and grow our affiliate.

We have made great strides to being a more sustainable organization. And yet, there is more to be done. As we look forward to 2022, I want to thank all of our supporters that have made this possible.

I anticipate a great new year being of service to more neighbors than ever before and moving closer to our vision of ending substandard housing in our community.

- Wayne

p.s. Please remember National Rebuilding Day (April 30, 2022) - This is the day that nearly every Rebuilding Together affiliate devotes time and resources to doing critical home repairs on a massive scale throughout the county!

Winter 2021

Giving Thanks!

Although Thanksgiving is now behind us, I never want to pass up an opportunity to express gratitude to all of our supporters. With our year-end campaign in full gear, I am thankful for all who have participated - either with a generous one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation. I am also grateful for all the volunteers - both past and present - and, future, that will enable us to serve more neighbors and stretch our resources even further!

I’d like to share a few words from Gretchen West, Executive Director, Healthy Homes, Nationwide Children's Hospital - "Health begins long before you enter the hospital's front doors- A person's ZIP code may be more important than their genetic code. Housing and health are interlinked, and poor housing conditions can have multiple negative health outcomes."

This is why we exist - to help our neighbors live in safer and healthier homes.

Jennifer Molinsky, Ph.D.. Senior Research Association at The Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University states, “As the older population grows, the number of older households facing serious affordability challenges is expected to grow. Low-income older homeowners, in particular, will need significantly greater resources to assist with maintenance, home modifications, and reducing housing costs.”

• Low-income homeowners have most of their wealth in their homes, with very little non-housing wealth. As of 2019, more than 10 million older households are cost-burdened—an all-time high, with about half being severely cost-burdened (meaning they paid more than half of their income on housing).

• Older homeowners who have paid off their mortgages can still be cost-burdened by the combination of utility bills, property taxes and insurance. Yet, the share of older adults carrying mortgages into older age has grown over the past several decades, including those in their 80s and older.

• Those who are cost-burdened spend less on necessities like food and out-of-pocket healthcare costs like prescriptions.

• Accessibility within the home is a major challenge, as the incidence of disability increases with age.

• Data show disabilities occur earlier in life for those with low incomes, Black older adults, and renters.

• Only 3.5% of the nation's housing stock has three main accessibility features important to people with mobility challenges—a no-step entry into the home, single-floor living, and extra-wide doors and hallways.

“Today, most older adults who remain in their homes/are not in residential care rely on unpaid assistance for help with self-care and household tasks. In the future, we anticipate they will rely more on paid care, whether in their own home or in a residential care setting, and both types of care are expensive. The cost of in-home support exceeds the median income of older renters and eats up much of owners' incomes. The costs of assisted living and nursing home care at the national median costs exceed the median income of both older renters and homeowners.”

Rebuilding Together Kent County is uniquely positioned to address the issues that affect our neighbors with disabilities, our low-income neighbors, our seniors and our veterans - right here in Kent County!

I encourage you to join us as we serve our neighbors. Become a monthly supporter. Sign-up to be on our future volunteer list. Share our story. Just call us and ask how you can be involved!

- Wayne

p.s. Please remember National Rebuilding Day (April 30, 2022) - This is the day that nearly every Rebuilding Together affiliate devotes time and resources to doing critical home repairs on a massive scale throughout the county!

Together we can make a difference!

Our community is built on the compassion of dedicated [Re]Builders like you! With your help, we can make sure our neighbors who have lost income don’t have to choose between putting food on the table and having a roof over their head. Rebuilding Together Kent County is an affiliate of a large national organization repairing homes, revitalizing communities and rebuilding lives.

This the time of year when most nonprofits begin their fall fundraising efforts. And here we are!

We work all year long to be excellent stewards of the resources we are given. We work hard to stretch the money, supplies and volunteer time provided to us. We are grateful for all of you that have supported us over the past year.

Rebuilding Together embarked on a multi-year, multi-phase outcome evaluation plan to try and fully understand the impact of our work on the health, safety, well-being and financial status of the residents and communities we serve. Some of the impact outcomes are shared below.

When you become a monthly donor to Rebuilding Together, you support our work to:

• Provide‌ ‌critical repairs‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌our‌ ‌neighbors‌ ‌safe‌ ‌in‌ ‌their‌ ‌home‌ ‌

  • 7 in 10 neighbors who received repairs report low or no chance of falling

• Create upward mobility opportunities for our neighbors

  • Neighbors who received repairs reported increased ability to pay for daily necessities

• Foster increased community connections

  • Neighbors who received repairs felt our work made a difference in their neighborhood or community

I hope you will consider my invitation to join Rebuilding Together as a monthly donor.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (410) 708-3274 or WRickert@RTKC.org - I’ll be happy chat and share our plans for the future!

Thank you for being a partner in our work.

Sincerely,

- Wayne

P.S. I understand right now might not be the best time for you to make a monthly commitment. Please consider making a generous, one-time gift to make a difference in the life of our neighbors in need.

Fall is my favorite time of year!

Every year I’m excited to feel the cooler temperatures and see the changing of the leaves! I always like the [Re]Freshing atmosphere! It was the time of year I attended the next grade in school. I always tried to buy a new (used) car in the fall for my fall foliage road trips. And the holidays! What’s NOT to like about fall?

This fall, we’re getting back to work with helping our neighbors live in safer and healthier homes. We were awarded the USDA Housing Preservation Grant and anticipate being approved for a Maryland Affordable Housing Trust Grant in December.

I’ve been out making Initial Home Visits and seeing firsthand the value of our work. I’ve also chatted with those we’ve helped over the past year. I’ve heard stories of need and of gratitude.

We continue to be good stewards of our resources and endeavor to partner with other organizations to make our funds stretch further and provide more assistance to our neighbors. I have been humbled by the number of people that have indicated their willingness to volunteer and get their hands “dirty.”

I anticipate that National Rebuilding Day - April 30, 2022, will be the LARGEST and most IMPACTFUL Rebuilding Day Kent County has ever seen.

Just a note to those that have recently updated their “Volunteer Profile” online - we have not forgotten you! We will be reaching out over the next few months to explore various ways to offer you opportunities to be involved.

I continue to be amazed at the support and encouragement we receive for the aspiration we’ve adopted… to eradicate substandard housing in our community!

With gratitude,

- Wayne

Doin’ it better! …with volunteers!

The Main Thing Is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing - Stephen Covey

REPAIRING HOMES, REVITALIZING COMMUNITIES, REBUILDING LIVES

Over the past several years we have begun to set up good systems to do what we do. We continue to focus on establishing good practices and procedures for all we do. Our “Main Thing” is stated right in the first two words of our mission statement: Repairing Homes!! The board realized several years ago that in order to serve more neighbors in Kent County, they needed to envision an organization that was able to hire and manage contractors - AND - engage volunteers in meaningful and critical work.

Volunteers are part of our DNA.

Christmas in April and Rebuilding Together were built on volunteer engagement. We are sharing our story at several “Volunteer Fairs” this month. We will also survey people that have volunteered with us in the past to assess readiness and willingness to do some smaller repairs in the next 30-60 days.

Prior to COVID, we had begun to set up some work teams to install smoke alarms, CO monitors, and address numerals. We will be reaching out to those individuals and discuss re-establishing the work teams.

Our strategic plan clearly defines a goal to “Create a system to recruit and steward volunteers.” We’ll be working on being more intentional and systematic in our stewardship of volunteers as we move into a post-pandemic world.

We shared our story…

On First Friday, and at the Volunteer Fair at Washington College and the Farmers’ Market!

- Wayne

Excellence!

Kent County Chamber of Commerce Community Excellence Award!

This month, I’d like to share some exciting news…

FROM the Kent County Chamber of Commerce Press Release:

Congratulations to Rebuilding Together Kent County for being a 2021 Kent County Chamber of Commerce Community Excellence Award Winner! Rebuilding Together Kent County is the fourth of five award winners the Kent Chamber will recognize for outstanding contributions to the Kent County community. The presentation of a Community Excellence Award is the highest honor bestowed to organizations and individuals from the Kent County Chamber of Commerce.

The Kent Chamber is proud to present Rebuilding Together Kent County with a Community Excellence Award for the way they have touched the lives of many here in Kent County. Providing critical home repairs to those in need, Rebuilding Together Kent County has replaced roofs, installed handicap-accessible ramps, and provided other repairs that allowed Kent County residents to remain in their homes. These repairs have also allowed the residents to maintain equity in their homes. Because the equity in one's home is often the only source of wealth for many, the work Rebuilding Together Kent County does also has the added benefit of preserving housing equity in our community.

Join us in extending Rebuilding Together Kent County a very big and well-deserved congratulations!

CLICK HERE to watch the video!

- Wayne

Summer 2021

Fall Rebuilding Day! Volunteers Welcome!

I hope you’re all enjoying a bit of normalcy - whatever that means to you. It’s been quite a ride over the last year-and-a-half. We had to pivot to engaging only contractors to do most of the repairs. Our neighbors were isolated and often we were the only interaction they had with the outside world. We helped sign seniors up for meals to be delivered and answered questions about where to get a vaccine.

We not only repaired roofs, but we also reconnected our neighbors with the rest of the world.

We hired Scott as our construction manager to coordinate contractor repairs, do repairs himself, and shepherd volunteers - of all skill levels - in providing critical home modifications.

It’s been a busy summer so far and we’re looking at several communities to focus our Fall Rebuilding Day activities on September 25, 2021. We are excited to again welcome individuals and teams from our corporate and community partners to help homeowners live in safe and healthy homes.

Our Fall Rebuilding Day will help highlight the critical role that safe housing plays in supporting our community's health and vitality as we recover from the pandemic. Many of our neighbors in need were hit hard by the loss of jobs and social isolation, and they are looking forward to welcoming our volunteers into their homes.

Would you like to be one of those volunteers?!? Construction not your “thing”? No worries, we have other opportunities for you to assist our neighbors… think meal preparation, serving on a committee, or being an ambassador for Rebuilding Together Kent County. Just sign up online or call us at 410.708.9936 and we’ll get you plugged in!

- Wayne

Fall Rebuilding Day!

Even though summer has just begun, and we’re scheduling repair work for the next several months, we’re looking ahead to the fall. In fact, we’re planning for an excellent volunteer event!

We're excited to announce our Fall Rebuilding Day to be held on September 25, 2021. We're looking forward to seeing teams from our corporate and community partners helping homeowners in a local neighborhood.

Our Fall Rebuilding Day will help highlight the critical role that safe housing plays in supporting our community's health and vitality as we recover from the pandemic. Many of our neighbors in need were hit hard by the loss of jobs and social isolation, and they are looking forward to welcoming our volunteers into their homes.

We are also working with several partners to do summer volunteer projects. If you'd like more information about how your group can partner with us for Fall Rebuilding Day, a day this summer, or another time, please contact us!

We miss you and can't wait to [Re]build with you! We’re excited about what the remainder of 2021 holds in store for us! I encourage you to subscribe using the form below to keep up with future volunteer opportunities as they become available.

- Wayne

A Busy Summer!

Back to business as usual?

With a successful National Rebuilding Day in our rear-view mirror, Scott Brewer settling in as our Construction Program Manager, and receiving the green light to spend from Maryland Affordable Housing Trust (MAHT), we are moving forward at project sites around the county! We have analyzed the various repair requests to discern the most critical needs we can meet with the funds we have available. Fifteen neighbors will have one or more home hazards removed over the next several months. Bids are being solicited for five (5) roof replacements as well as another roof and chimney repair. At least one senior widow needs extensive work done to make it safe for her to get in and out of her bathtub. In some homes we'll be removing older carpeting and repairing weak spots in the floor. We are always eager to add contractors to our "Rolodex" so please help us spread the word about this opportunity to help improve the health and safety of our neighbors' homes.

Our intention is to invest the $75,000 from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust grant between now and the end of September. We will be using a portion to do additional repairs on some of the homes we worked on with a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Through a partnership with Lowes, we applied for and received $10,000 in gift cards to purchase materials for repairs completed by Scott and volunteers. Combining resources from multiple entities allows us to take on projects that might otherwise be beyond our capacity.

We’re excited about what the remainder of 2021 holds in store for us! I encourage you to sign up for emails to keep up with future volunteer opportunities as they become available.

- Wayne

Spring Forward!

March is here! On March 14th we’ll all “Spring Forward!”

We are marching towards National Rebuilding Day on April 24th! We are preparing to re-engage a limited number of volunteers. We’ll be doing mostly outside work in small, safe teams. Stay tuned for more details!

We have been busy in the past several months - no hibernation for us! We helped 7 neighbors with majors repairs and did more than 20 critical minor repairs for other neighbors. All thanks to a “Rural Preservation Grant” from the USDA.

We have a long waiting list and we are doing initial home visits for all those on our list to scope out the repairs needed and requested. This is going to be the busiest year ever for us. We also received a grant from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust that will enable us to serve at least 15 neighbors on our list.

We will be expanding our staff next month with the addition of Scott Brewer as our construction manager. Scott will oversee our contractors, manage the multiple repairs on the different properties, assist with future volunteer work and pay attention to all things construction for Rebuilding Together Kent County! And, right now, this is a part-time position!

We’re excited about what 2021 holds in store for us, and I encourage you to sign up for emails and for future volunteer opportunities that are posted on our website as they become available.

- Wayne

National Rebuilding Day!

April 24, 2021

Each year on the last Saturday in April, National Rebuilding Day encourages organizations and volunteers to pick up their tools and roll up their sleeves. On this day and over the weekend, tens of thousands of volunteers join together to provide much-needed and sometimes critical and life-saving repairs, for vulnerable families in their communities.

The work done by volunteers is at no cost to the recipient families. Monies for materials are raised through sponsorships, donations, and in-kind gifts. Volunteers come together from area businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, civic and community groups and associations and work selflessly to help others.

We have been busy in the past several months - no hibernation for us! We helped 7 neighbors with majors repairs and did more than 20 critical minor repairs for other neighbors. All thanks to a “Rural Preservation Grant” from the USDA.

We have a long waiting list and we are doing initial home visits for all those on our list to scope out the repairs needed and requested. This is going to be the busiest year ever for us. We also received a grant from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust that will enable us to serve at least 15 neighbors on our list.

We expanded our staff with the addition of Scott Brewer as our construction manager. Scott will oversee our contractors, manage the multiple repairs on the different properties, assist with future volunteer work and pay attention to all things construction for Rebuilding Together Kent County! And, right now, this is a part-time position!

We’re excited about what 2021 holds in store for us, and I encourage you to sign up for emails and for future volunteer opportunities that are posted on our website as they become available.

- Wayne

Fast, Focused & Fired-up!

Friends,

We’re starting off this year…

Fast… because we were awarded a $75,000 Maryland Affordable Housing Trust Grant and this enables us to provide significant home repairs to our neighbors in the next 90 days! Fast, because we exceeded our fall campaign fundraising goal.

Focused… we are focused on sharing our annual report with the community and submitting multiple grant applications by the end of the month. Focused on the volunteer committee and their aspirations for 2021 to engage volunteers in fulfilling our mission once again! Focused on hiring a construction manager to oversee the many projects we have planned!

Fired-up! We should ALL be excited about this year and the opportunities that will present themselves. It may even be a year filled with MORE opportunities than last year! Imagine that!

Here’s one example of why I’m fired-up! I spoke with the Regional Director from HUD about the funding opportunities that exist at the federal level and will be meeting with her and the person in charge of CDBG, ESG & HOME funding* in the state of Maryland. The new Kent County Housing & Transportation Coordinator, Dawson Hunter, will be joining the conversation. I’m excited about the possibility of creating momentum around the idea of critical home modifications for ALL neighbors that need them here in our community.

Wayne Rickert
Executive Director
WRickert@RTKC.org

p.s. I’m always happy to chat about Rebuilding Together Kent County. Just shoot me an email and we can plan a time for Zoomin’ or just chatting by phone!

CDBG, ESG & HOME funding* - CDBG = Community Development Block Grant / ESG = Emergency Solutions Grants / HOME = HOME

Plan - Pivot - Persevere

Dear Friends,

Our mission is Repairing Homes, Revitalizing Communities, Rebuilding Lives. With 2020 in the rear-view mirror, our mission is more important than ever.

Plan - Repairing Homes. We plan on continuing the good work we’ve already started in Kent County helping our neighbors stay safer and healthier right in their own homes. The plan is to increase our outreach and expand our services. Even though we are primarily engaging contractors to perform critical repairs, we are looking for ways to re-engage our loyal volunteers as it becomes safer to do so. Stay tuned as we plan for 2021.

Pivot - Revitalizing Communities. Last year we invested over $150,000 in repairs for our neighbors, helping them to be warmer, safer, drier and healthier in their homes. We are helping our seniors age in place. We are helping people with disabilities to be safer. We are working with other nonprofits to bring services to our most vulnerable. We are truly a “neighbors helping neighbors” organization.

Persevere - Rebuilding Lives. As we plan and pivot this year, we will persevere in creating a sustainable nonprofit home repair organization that will make an impact upon our neighbors, today and in the future. Volunteers have always played a vital role in our success. I encourage you to think about this year and how you might help us to help our neighbors. We have lots of opportunities - outside of construction - for volunteering. Just send me an email (WRickert@RTKC.org) and I’ll be happy to discuss how you might use your unique talents in support of our mission to end substandard housing in our community.

-Wayne Rickert

Executive Director, Rebuilding Together Kent County

p.s. One of the best ways to ensure we can persevere is to join our [Re]Builders Club of monthly supporters!