National Rebuilding Day a Great Success

Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley and several local community partners came together over the weekend providing three local homeowners much needed critical home repairs.

On National Rebuilding Day this past Saturday, April 27th, three Dutchess County homeowners received critical home repairs and/or accessibility modifications at no cost to them through Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley’s (RTHV) Rebuilding Day program. With the support of volunteers from five local organizations and businesses, and the generous donation of in-kind materials and services from five local businesses RTHV was able to make a positive difference throughout our community.
 
Approximately 90 community volunteers, RTHV staff and board members, elected officials, valued partners of the organization were present on April 27th. The local nonprofit has been serving the Dutchess County region for over three decades, now expanding service into Ulster County, where they are currently working on several inaugural projects this year. Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley has significantly impacted thousands of our neighbors since its founding 32 years ago, repairing almost 1,100 area homes. They are actively engaged, both in outreach and with projects in the works throughout the year in both counties.
 
Darcy McCourt, Executive Director of RTDC stated - “I am profoundly grateful for the incredible dedication and selflessness displayed by our volunteers on National Rebuilding Day. their unwavering commitment to lending a helping hand embodies the very essence of community spirit. Our supporters and volunteers are the cornerstone of our mission, serving as the building blocks for the revitalization of homes, lives, and communities across the Hudson Valley.  

The teams who led the projects on site were the Arlington Teachers’ Association, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Poughquag United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church of Hyde Park. Other supporters who made the day possible with their generosity included: Herring Sanitation Service, Recycle Depot, Veith Electric, and Consigli Construction. “We are thrilled to make this day happen this year and every year,” expanded McCourt, “The homeowners and families are so appreciative and honored by the volunteers’ attention and service to them and their homes.”
 
Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley provided roughly 70 critical home repairs across the three projects on April 27th. The local recipients included Helen, an 88-year-old widow of a veteran and her adult disabled son, who have lived in their Poughkeepsie home for over 30 years. She expressed immense gratitude for the work RTHV, the United Methodist Church of Hyde Park volunteer team and all their supporters managed to complete during the day. “This makes such a difference for us in knowing mom will be able to move around from appointments and getting in and out of the bathroom safely,” her daughter Josephine exclaimed. Repairs included installation of 30-foot handrail and reinforcement of the stair handrails; the conversion to a walk-in shower and grab bars for the bathroom, repairs in the basement and stair-rail additions, and power washing. “These repairs and modifications give us peace-of-mind knowing mom and my brother will be safe now,” her daughter Josephine concluded. 
 
Other project sites that day included a 30-year-old disabled young Air Force veteran, who suffered injuries while serving, rendering him unable to continue service. “The work that they have done empowers me to move forward,” Matthew reflected, continuing, “I always knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, that’s where I am now.”

The third home was that of 60-year-old grandmother Lisa, who has lived in her Lagrange home for 22 years, along with her adult children and grandchildren. “I am so happy to know that so many people cared enough about me and my family to do all they did for our home,” exclaimed Lisa, “After my stroke over 10 years ago, I was not able to keep up and everything just fell apart,” she cried, “My grandchildren saw how much had to be done and always asked about it; I couldn’t afford to fix anything so I would just say don’t worry it will get done someday – and now here came Rebuilding Together, they are answering my prayers!” Repairs for this multi-generational home included but were not limited to, repairing the front concrete entry landing, wall repairs, electrical repairs, bathroom toilet, sink, and water-damage repairs, door replacement, exterior painting, and kitchen floor repairs. “My grandson said he wants to live here forever…” she smiled, “that makes me proud, and I thank them.”
 
All three homeowners served on National Rebuilding Day expressed a deep desire to remain in their home safely and independently for as long as possible. RTHV’s Rebuilding Day program enables qualified low-income homeowners the ability to live in a safe and healthy home. Without such assistance, many of the homeowners RTHV serves would be forced to leave their homes or continue to be cost burdened by the needed critical home, safety, and accessibility repairs.
 
The open application period for the RTHV Rebuilding Day home repair program will run from June through September. Applications received during this time are considered for service in 2025. For more details, call (845) 454-7310 or visit rthudsonvalley.org. Please call if you or someone you know could benefit from these services, to be contacted when applications become available.