National Rebuilding Day

A young Chicagoland resident plants flowers on event day.

RT*MC is an affiliate of Rebuilding Together. Every year on the last Saturday in April, all of the affiliates across the country participate in National Rebuilding Day. This is a day on which thousands of volunteers come together to complete home repair projects for low-income, disabled and elderly residents. The home and community renovations completed on National Rebuilding Day benefit families, seniors and people with disabilities whose limited income has made it difficult to maintain their homes.

For RT*MC, participation in the National Rebuilding Day represents the culmination of a year's worth of planning and coordination. Approximately 4,000 volunteers from the Chicagoland area come together to complete home repair projects in designated neighborhoods. We focus on repairing homes to make them safer and more accessible for their owners, as well as providing renovations and upgrades that will leave the home a brighter, more pleasant place.

Give Back Days

In Their Own Words... "It is still hard for me to believe the wonderful gift that you and your Rebuilding Together volunteers gave to our BBR program site. I was deeply touched by the enthusiasm, energy and loving care that you and your volunteers exhibited. It was truly a labor of love! "I'm sorry that you were not able to witness the look of awe and wonder on the faces of the kids when they entered the building that following Monday. I think it made a powerful statement to them that they were special and worthy of such a wonderful effort. "Thank you for an extraordinary gift your time and service on our behalf." —James Simmons   Chicago Youth Centers

The concept of the Give Back Day is unique to RT*MC and involves the participation of larger employee teams in specific community improvement projects. It is an excellent opportunity for a larger group of employees to work together at relatively unskilled tasks, while helping to strengthen and build the Chicagoland community. Such projects meet the following criteria:

• Consistent with RT*MC's mission
• Serves a community need, rather than the needs of a specific homeowner
• Has a sustainable impact — physically and socially — on the recipient agency and neighborhood

For information on volunteer opportunities available with our organization, please visit the Get Involved section of our website.

2007 Give Back Day Sites
The following community sites benefited from participation in RT*MC's 2007 Give Back Days:

Bensenville Teen Center

Casa Central School Age Program

Circle Urban Ministries

Cornerstone Community Outreach

CYC Fellowship House

Daniel Webster Middle School

Korean American Community Center

La Posada II

PACTT School

New City Center Chicago Commons

REST Emergency Housing and Support Center

2006 Give Back Day Sites
The following community sites benefited from participation in RT*MC's 2006 Give Back Days:

Casa Infantil Day Care Center

La Posada I

Su Casa Catholic Worker

Humboldt Park Social Services

Port Ministries

Glen Flora Elementary School, Waukegan

Youth Outreach Services

Community Clean-up Project, Harvey

Delano Elementary School

Port Ministries (Theresa House, Tony’s Gym, and The Mantle)

Valentine Boys and Girls Club