REPORT ON HIGHLIGHTS OF 2013 PROJECTS
"I felt as if I had family and good friends everywhere to help. Everyone was so kind…I cannot adequately
express my gratitude for the miracles and blessings of what I have received. It was as if I was given an
enormous treasure chest, and out came all of you."
-Homeowner commenting on Rebuilding Day 2013
Rebuilding Together North Suburban Chicago in partnership with social service providers, community
leaders, donors and volunteers, helps low income homeowners and those with disabilities to live in dignity and
to remain in their homes, safe, warm and dry. We consider it a privilege to serve.
We are pleased to share our 2013 Report about the impact we are making together. This past year we:
 Received more than 100 applications for free home repairs
 Worked on 60 projects in 19 communities
 Served low-income homeowners, many of whom are seniors or Veterans, have disabilities, or care for a
child with disabilities at home, as well as needy not for profits
 Worked with more than 700 volunteers, 36 volunteer groups and many donors
Here are a few of our stories from 2013:
Evanston Great Grandmother Gets an Extreme Home Makeover
A senior raising her three great grandchildren longed for a safer home and a better quality of life, but her
resources fell short. To her immense delight, we enhanced the safety of her home with significant electrical
repairs. We also renovated the kitchen, installing new flooring, cabinets, counters, range and sink, painting and
improving the plumbing. The family now lives in safety and greater dignity.
Helping a Hero
A social worker from North Shore Senior Center wrote to us asking for help with a tough situation. A Morton
Grove senior had a roof in extreme disrepair, landing him in Building Court and facing mounting penalties. The
homeowner was a Marine Combat Veteran who served in the Viet Nam War with distinction and suffered a
service related disability. He had also worked hard all his life as the driver of a semi dump truck until his layoff
four years ago at age 61. With a grant from Sears Heroes at Home and a donation of some of the labor from a
trusted roofer, we provided a new roof to this hero.
“I didn’t think I was going to survive this,” the Veteran said. “I don’t have any family and I wasn’t about to
ask my friends for money. I’m so grateful for this gift.” Morton Grove Champion, 10/28/13 (by Rick Kambic)
Supporting Those Facing Challenge
A homeowner’s sister had a devastating stroke leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. The homeowner
lovingly cared for her sister in her own home. This challenging situation had become impossible; the sister
required a prohibitively expensive lift and transport vehicle to exit and re-enter the home for medical
appointments. A conforming ramp was not feasible due to the height of the entryway. In response to this
compelling need, Rebuilding Together rebuilt the porch and installed an exterior electrical lift, enhancing the
safety and health of the sister coping with daunting challenge.
Before of porch
After of porch
Homeowner enjoys a trial run of
her sister’s new lift
Serving One Who Serves Others
A seventy-one year old homeowner has spent her life in service to others. For many years she worked hard as a
nurse, raising her family. In her retirement she continues to serve as a leader in her church’s annual mission
trips to impoverished countries helping to set up clinics serving those less fortunate than herself. In recent
years, this giving senior faced financial challenges and family members’ serious health issues. Essential home
repairs and many longed-for improvements were out of reach financially. Rebuilding Together stepped in and
retained professionals to tuck-point and perform a roof repair.
On Rebuilding Day, a team of volunteers completed the transformation of her home. They filled cracks in the
foundation, painted the back of the house and shed, washed walls and ceilings, reorganized cabinets, fixed a
sink, filled a dumpster with unwanted belongings and did a major landscaping project.
The homeowner said, “God is a provider and He provided this group for me...I pray for them every day...I will
never find words to express my gratitude”.
A Favorite "Before and After"
A 91 year old homeowner is thrilled to be able
to remain in her home, thanks to her
wonderful daughter and care-giver. This
daughter humbly did their wash the old
fashioned way with a wash board and metal
tub. When their refrigerator broke down, they
reached out to us. The daughter said that a
new washing machine was not essential.
Smiling, she said that hand-scrubbing was her
"work out". We provided a new refrigerator
and washing machine, and the daughter has
admitted that she does like having a washing
machine. We also assisted with furnace
repairs.
We Witness Much Need
A North Chicago homeowner had a badly leaking roof. While an insurance payment helped cover the roof
replacement, it did not stretch far enough for the interior repairs. With nowhere else to turn, she turned to us.
Caring volunteers threw their hearts into this project to help this dear senior. In her bedroom they installed
paneling, painted, installed a new ceiling fan and shades and reorganized. They cleaned and organized the
living room and installed new carpeting. Turning their attention to the kitchen, they painted the door, installed
a new sink, faucet, spice rack and paper towel rack. They cleaned and organized the attic room and basement,
and also greatly improved the yard. These kind volunteers transformed the home, elevated the senior’s quality
of life and lifted her spirits. Please view the before and after photos of this project on the next page.
Before photo of preceding project “We Witness Much Need” After photo of preceding project
The Gift of Hope
A senior had been rehabbing her 167 year old house for 13 years, but as she put it, “life happens” and divorce,
health and financial problems interfered greatly with her progress. As she stated in her application, “it would
be great to have friends to help.” Volunteers painted and landscaped. The House Captain provided
professional repair and painting of 4 rusty and unstable exterior wrought iron railings to address safety and
cosmetic issues. The homeowner said, "My home is so beautiful now. It is a blessing to have the SIX rooms
painted…..Now I am one more big step further with my home…you all have given me hope. “
Another homeowner had not had hot water for over a year. We provided a hot water heater, installed new
carpeting, renovated her bathroom and did electrical repairs, vastly improving her quality of life.
Helping More Veterans
In addition to providing a Veteran with a desperately
needed new roof we worked on at least four more high
impact projects for our honored Veterans as follows:
Homeowner is the widow of a Korean War Veteran and is
also a Veteran of that War. Enthusiastic volunteers rebuilt
her enclosed back porch, repaired and painted her front
porch, replaced a toilet, installed dead bolt locks and
performed extensive yard work.
We assisted a Korean War Veteran and his wife using a Sears Heroes at
Home grant. Contractors repaired, painted and reversed the front door, repaired and installed new plumbing in
the bathroom and retiled the shower area, installed a new light fixture in kitchen, painted and repaired tile in
the kitchen, installed new flooring in the kitchen, painted the living room and repaired a faulty railing.
With a grant from Sears Heroes at Home we assisted a WWII Veteran by gutting and rebuilding his bathroom,
improving basement plumbing and installing a new water heater. This Homeowner served in Viet Nam,
returning with a service related disability. Home Depot provided skilled volunteers and funding to provide a
beautiful new kitchen to his family including four children.
Helping Those With Disabilities
Rimland (Evanston) serves those with autism:
Painted 12 rooms in one of their residential homes to provide a more serene environment. Rimland was very
pleased with the beautiful result.
Orchard Village serves those with developmental disabilities:
Tore down damaged deck and built and stained a large new deck at their main campus. Built new benches and
repaired picnic tables. Cleared a huge forested area to prepare for large garden, and painted. Over 54
volunteers worked on this project including 15 skilled carpenters, 3 skilled painters, and 4 skilled arborists.
Orchard Village said, “It was genuinely gratifying to see folks give up a Saturday to do serious work.
Saturdays are precious, and there was no wimping around… All of the volunteers had a wonderful spirit and
worked very hard.”
Glenkirk serves those with developmental disabilities:
At a residence for 18 adults, volunteers in this outdoor project built a brick wall border, planted bushes and laid
down mulch, buffed the basement floor like new, painted badly scuffed doors and more. Glenkirk said that the
team did a fantastic job.
A young mom living in a single family home in Northbrook….
Relies on a mobility scooter. Carpenters built her a small handicap ramp. Volunteers removed a hazardous
metal shed and did a major yard clean up.
Helping More Seniors
We helped a very gracious senior with challenges
posed by flooding by removing 1.5 tons of
unwanted belongings, reorganizing, removing
kitchen cabinets and installing new cabinets and
counters, painting her living room and kitchen and
landscaping. We helped MANY more seniors with
the tasks sited above, as well as others including:
repairing and replacing roofs, installing a new door
bell and security light, replacing multiple window
screens, replacing main water inlet valve, repairing
porch hand railings, repairing a sump pump,
replacing toilets, repairing electrical, improving
bathrooms, repairing doors, providing appliances,
repairing plumbing, replacing shower doors, recaulking tub and shower, replacing faucets, tuckpointing chimney, demo and removal of metal
shed, repairing broken fence, installing stair railing,
installing new blinds, yard work and more. We
were even able to build a patio for an Evanston
homeowner who longed for this improvement.
A senior was using towels in her attic to absorb water after it rained. We repaired the flashing around the
chimney and were able to stop the leak.
In another major project we removed a concrete ramp to the front door which was pitched incorrectly and
causing the home to rot, rebuilt the front porch and replaced rotted wood, repaired exterior lights and
adjusted the front door. We provided a new back door, repaired plumbing in both bathrooms, painted the
interior, installed a new garbage disposal, performed yard work and more.
Assisting Families
Volunteers worked over weeks to assist a widow with two young children. The Dad had passed away after this
family filed their application for help. Volunteers rebuilt the porch roof and properly flashed it to the house,
replaced one rusted out window well that was allowing leakage into the basement, completely gutted the
basement down to the studs and rebuilt it. They also repaired furnace and air conditioning, provided new
siding, fascia and soffits, gutters and door posts on back of home and more.
Volunteers and skilled contractors assisted a large family struggling in their home which needed major repairs.
They painted every room, repairing and providing new drywall as needed. They repaired lights in the foyer and
outside which did not work and provided a functioning bathroom upstairs, including a new shower, new toilet
and new faucets. This work was challenging and included a difficult plumbing situation. The results are
fantastic. This homeowner is very thankful.
Impact of our work
Our 2013 projects summarized:
 Renovated 6 kitchens
 Improved many bathrooms
 Performed 14 plumbing repairs
 Provided 14 new appliances (including appliances in 6 kitchen renovations)
 Worked on 6 electrical projects
 6 major landscaping projects
 Painted interior and/or exterior parts of over 20 homes
 6 major clutter/organizational projects
 4 new roofs
 4 roof repairs
 Rebuilt 2 porches and decks
 Gutted and rehabbed basement which had extensive water damage and provided new gutters and
siding on back of home
 Installed electrical exterior lift and small wheelchair ramp, grab bars and more
The Rebuilding Together North Suburban Chicago network comprised of donors, house captains and
skilled and unskilled volunteers makes its greatest impact in making each homeowner we serve to
feel cared for, respected and empowered. We are grateful to all who support our mission.
Contact: Sharon Riley, Executive Director
[email protected] - (847) 778-7469
Rebuilding Together North Suburban Chicago
P.O. Box 626, Glenview, IL 60025
www.rebuildingtogethernsc.com