Rebuilding Together Dutchess County Returned to Their Roots on National Rebuilding Day
“It is unbelievable that all these things can be done in one day when it’s things I’ve been trying to accomplish for years,” says Alice of Poughkeepsie. Alice, 82, was one of three Dutchess County residents who received assistance with home repairs this past Saturday from the local nonprofit Rebuilding Together Dutchess County (RTDC).
Alice used to wash windows, climb up and down ladders, mow the lawn. Her neighbor called her the “pioneer woman” because she was always out doing stuff around the house. However, “in 2014, I got cancer” she explains, “and my health started to go downhill and my capabilities went with it.” Combined with the medical bills and more money going out than coming in, she hasn’t been able to keep up with the home repairs as she used to, or would like to.
Rebuilding Together Dutchess County has been serving our community for 30 years. Their mission is to repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives by performing cost-free critical home repairs for low-income homeowners.
Each year on National Rebuilding Day, the last Saturday of April, RTDC provides home repairs to multiple homeowners and families with the help of volunteer teams organized and sponsored by local organizations.
For Bob, 87, who was also served, these repairs mean he can stay in his home. “I now know I will be here forever. That’s what I wanted to do, stay here. When I die, I want to die here. Not in a hospital, not in a home, but here.” In addition to other repairs throughout the home, chairlifts were installed so Bob can navigate the split-level home safely and the bathroom door was turned into a pocket door to make it wider to allow him to walk in safely with his rolling walker.
“The repairs we provide on National Rebuilding Day, and throughout the year, are life-changing, life-saving repairs for our neighbors in need,” says Darcy McCourt, the newly appointed Executive Director of RTDC. “Our services ensure homeowners like Alice and Bob can live independently in safe and healthy homes.”
This National Rebuilding Day was special to RTDC because it is their 30th year serving Dutchess County homeowners and it was a return to their roots. The day marked the first-time volunteers were out in the community helping their neighbors since the start of the pandemic. Program Manager, Wyeth Drummond, felt the significance of what it all meant. “The last few years have been hard for everyone, but National Rebuilding Day reminded us how important the work we do is, what it truly means to those we assist and that together we can truly make a difference.”
More than 75 volunteers from sponsoring organizations Arlington Teacher’s Association, GKontos Roofing Specialists, Poughquag United Methodist Church and United Methodist Church of Hyde Park made these projects possible. They dedicated their time, effort and skill to make a difference in these homeowner’s lives.
Other supporters, that contributed in-kind donations and services, include Forrest Green Landscaping, Herring Sanitation, Recycle Depot, and Veith Electric. Additional funding was provided by Central Hudson, Dutchess County, Dyson Foundation, Field Hall Foundation, Hudson Valley Credit Union, M&T Charitable Foundation, Nuvance Health, The RTA Store and Ulster Savings Bank.
The open application period for the Rebuilding Together Dutchess County home repair program runs from June through August. Applications received during this time are considered for service in 2023. For more details, call (845) 454-7310 or visit www.rtdutchess.org.
