National Rebuilding Day

2024 in Review

January 2, 2025

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our incredible volunteers, partners, and donors for making our 2024 fiscal year a resounding success. Together, we are building safer, more affordable, and thriving communities for neighbors in need.

In FY2023, our volunteers contributed an astounding 6,200 hours to complete 117 projects, benefiting 176 individuals living in 110 homes and supporting six non-profit housing organizations. The value of this donated labor amounts to $361,800.

Remarkably, 93% of the households we assisted qualify as Very Low or Extremely Low income—families, older adults and people with disabilities who could never afford these essential repairs and modifications without your support.

We couldn’t achieve this impact without you. Take a moment to explore our Year in Review and see how your contributions—whether time, funds, or partnerships—are transforming lives and creating a lasting community impact.

Here’s to another year of meaningful change, together!

National Rebuilding Day – ACCA and Dulin UMC Assist Hartwood Foundation

August 29, 2024

Our partners completed some amazing work on National Rebuilding Day this past April. Two teams from Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) and a team from Dulin United Methodist Church collaborated with Hartwood Foundation to create outdoor spaces for their residents at three Fairfax homes. Hartwood operates residential service programs for people with developmental disabilities and they understand the ability to enjoy life is the ability that matters most. Our partners were all smiles too, enjoying National Rebuilding Day in spite of the rain and mud.

The Dulin team took on the challenge of building a deck and a storage shed at the Shreve Road group home in Falls Church. Six people with developmental disabilities reside at Shreve, which sits on a small, oddly shaped and sloped lot. The new deck significantly enhances the residents’ ability to enjoy many outdoor leisure activities like arts and crafts, and music. They are also enjoying having meals in a shaded and safe area. They absolutely love their new deck!

ACCA Team 1 painted the carport area and expanded and refurbished the deck at Southhampton which allows the residents to enjoy more outdoor space and enables them to enter and exit the home’s van under cover – sheltered from the elements. The residents recently invited friends over and cooked out on the deck and plan to enjoy many more relaxing evenings outside as the weather cools.

ACCA Team 2 built a permanent patio cover and flower planter boxes at Long Pine which makes the area much more usable for the residents. Additionally, they gave the family room, kitchen and dining rooms a fresh coat of paint. The five gentlemen who live there quickly made use of the new covered area which allows them to spend time outside in the shade – especially important during our hot summer. They celebrated by hosting a barbecue shortly after ACCA completed the work.

“The work done by Rebuilding Together helps us to meet our mission and imperatives, most especially providing our residents with excellent quality of life activities,” said CEO Sean McGinnis. “We thank you on behalf of our residents for the wonderful upgrades. Your teams were sensitive to the needs and challenges of the people we support and were incredible to work and collaborate with as always.”

2023 Year in Review

December 21, 2023

We want to thank all of our amazing volunteers, partners and donors for helping us make our 2023 fiscal year a great success. Together we are contributing to the solution for safe, affordable and thriving communities for our neighbors in need. Our in FY2023 our volunteers gave 6,924 hours to help us complete 117 projects. We assisted 181 people living in 110 homes, and seven non-profit housing organizations. Our volunteers’ donated labor is valued at $356,134.

85% of the households we helped last year qualify as Very Low or Extremely Low income and could never afford these vital repairs and modifications on their own. We truly could not do this without your support. Please take a few minutes to read our Year in Review to see how our services have touched many lives this past year and how the efforts of our volunteers, donors and partners add up to a significant community impact. We look forward to another successful year!

National Rebuilding Day – Three Faith Groups Partner to Assist a Veteran

June 28, 2023

National Rebuilding Day included a variety of rewarding projects undertaken by our faith and corporate partners, including the work King of Kings Lutheran Church accomplished for Mr. W. in Centreville Mr. W. is a Marine Corps veteran who was stationed at Paris Island and Quantico before becoming a business owner in our area. He took care of his wife for many years until she passed away in 2020. Mr. W. took pride in his home but in recent years due to health issues and lack of financial resources he couldn’t keep up with the mounting maintenance and repairs needed to continue to live safely in his home of 56 years.

It Takes a Village

For over 20 years, we have counted on our partner King of Kings Lutheran Church to take on challenging projects. Due to the breadth of the work needed on this home, team leader Oscar von Bredow recruited volunteers from Fairfax United Methodist and Christ Presbyterian Churches to partner with his church. In total, 35 volunteers with a range of skills worked over two weekends to make Mr. W’s home safer. The first weekend a smaller group of volunteers cleared out extensive debris from a tree-damaged back porch.

Then on National Rebuilding Day, the larger team worked together to improve access to the house, make safety modifications and repairs, and do a major yard clean-up The volunteers patched the driveway, and spent hours removing the old walkway and building a new walkway to the front steps. The process included hauling bags of cement, running the cement mixer, pouring cement, and leveling and smoothing the cement. They also repaired the steps to the front porch and replaced the porch light so Mr. W. can now safely enter and leave his home.

Inside the house, the work focused on aging-in-place modifications like installing a comfort height toilet and grab bars in the main bathroom; fire safety by installing smoke detectors, changing out the plastic accordion dryer vent to metal ducting and replacing the kitchen exhaust fan to remove grease, smoke and fumes from the kitchen; and tackling a host of other repairs that included installing a new cooktop, replacing the leaking dishwasher, repairing a leaking pipe in the basement, removing old carpet and installing vinyl plank flooring.

Good Work is its Own Reward

With this much work to do, the team ended up spending 10 hours at the house on National Rebuilding Day (NRD), plus additional hours preparing materials and removing debris the week prior to NRD. You can see how our generous volunteers participated in the work with enthusiasm and smiles:

The homeowner’s daughter, who lives in Maryland, expressed her appreciation to the team:

“When you see everyone in church tomorrow who worked so hard on my Dad’s house today, please tell them how VERY MUCH we appreciated everyone’s time! Everyone who came was so helpful, suggestive, kind, friendly, and skillful! Both their talents and graciousness shone through. All worked so hard today, and we appreciate and thank every one of you. Bless you all!”

We’re grateful to our partners at King of Kings Lutheran Church, Fairfax United Methodist Church, and Christ Presbyterian Church and proud of the work they did to ensure that Mr. W. is safe and comfortable in his home.

If you’d like to get involved in supporting a rebuilding project or if you know a homeowner in the area who could use our support, please contact us!

Please visit our Flickr albums for more photos from this project and all of our National Rebuilding Day 2023 projects.

2022 Year in Review

December 21, 2022

All of us at Rebuilding Together Arlington/ Fairfax/ Falls Church want to express our deepest appreciation for our supporters and volunteers who make our work possible. In 2022, our volunteers gave 6,924 hours to help us complete 109 projects (100 homes and 9 nonprofits). That amounts to $365,312 in donated labor.

83% of the households we help qualify as Very Low or Extremely Low income and could never afford these vital repairs and modifications on their own. We truly could not do this without your support. Please take a few minutes to read our Year in Review to see how our services have touched many lives this past year and how the efforts of our volunteers, donors and partners add up to a significant community impact. We look forward to another successful year!

There’s No Place Like Home

July 14, 2022

The homeowners we assist are grateful for the life-changing repairs and modifications made by our volunteers and for the donors and funders who provide the financial support to make our programs possible. We recently interviewed four homeowners and want to share their gratitude with you. Please watch the video, and scroll down to read Mrs. B’s lovely thank you note.

Highlights from National Rebuilding Day

July 14, 2022

National Rebuilding Day (NRD), our signature annual event, is made possible by our partnerships with local faith, corporate and community partners. Our partners financially support their projects and recruit House Captains who mobilize volunteers, plan repairs, and coordinate all the details to make the workday a success for their teams and the homeowners they are serving. Our partners and volunteers are motivated by the desire to give back and make the homes of our neighbors safe and healthy. After missing two National Rebuilding Days due to the pandemic our partners were eager to rejoin us for NRD 2022.

Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA), King of Kings Lutheran Church and Washington Building Congress (WBC) are longtime partners for NRD, and each team brings an amazing set of skills and enthusiasm to their projects. “The last few years have shown us the importance of having a safe place to call home,” said Patti Klein, RT-AFF Executive Director. “The critical repairs being made not only on National Rebuilding Day, but year-round are improving the physical and mental health of our neighbors, increasing their safety and sense of independence and are improving their economic security and sense of community connection.”

ACCA/RT-AFF’s 35+ Year Partnership
ACCA put together two teams this year as they have done for many National Rebuilding Days during our 35+ years as partners in safe and healthy housing. ACCA Team #2 included volunteers from Ravensworth Baptist, John Calvin Presbyterian and Providence Presbyterian Churches ranging in age from college students to retirees. The team helped Mr. and Mrs. D, a couple in their 80’s who have lived in their Alexandria home for 41 years. Mrs. D spends much of her time caring for Mr. D who is blind, hearing impaired and uses a walker. His safety is her biggest concern, and due to their age and disabilities they also had a lot of deferred maintenance projects to be tackled.

House Captain Brian Meli, assisted by co-captains Jim and Laurie Lewis and Woody Woodburn divided the work among eight task leaders. Critical repairs included improving drainage and downspouts to move water away from the home to keep it dry, repairing rotten flooring near the furnace, sealing leaking windows, gaps and cracks for better temperature control and to keep pests out of the home, securing handrails and adding grab bars to prevent falls and changing out regular light bulbs with LED bulbs to make the home brighter and help prevent falls. The team also did a major yard clean-up and improved the landscaping around the home. “I’m really proud of our eight task leaders and how they divided and conquered the work,” said House Captain Brian Meli. “Everyone came together to help paint the kitchen after their tasks were completed, which brought great joy to Mrs. D and gave the entire team a boost at the end of a long day.” Click to see ACCA Team #2 Flickr Album and the ACCA Team #1 Album.

King of Kings Lutheran Church Assists Chantilly Family
Mrs. B’s knees don’t work as well as they used to, and she had fallen on the long sloping stairway leading to her car. Led by House Captain Oscar von Bredow and co-captain Bert Roepe, the King of Kings Lutheran Church team constructed an outside railing and added second railings to the inside stairways so Mrs. B can safely get up and down the stairs. The team installed grab bars in the bathroom, made plumbing and electrical repairs, repaired walls and doors, installed a new storm door, cleaned up the yard, installed smoke/co detectors and much more. Mrs. B and her family, who have lived in their home for 26 years, were so inspired by the amount of work the team was able to accomplish in a short time that they arranged for several family members to visit and help paint the newly repaired walls. Mrs. B wrote a lovely thank you email and said, “Your generosity went beyond a day’s work; it filled our hearts with hope and a real feeling of community.” Mrs. B can now use her stairs without the fear of falling, walk down the long walkway to her car holding onto a sturdy railing, and she and her entire family can take pride in their safe home. You can read Mrs. B’s letter and watch an interview with her and 3 other homeowners about their experiences with RT-AFF in our recent video. Click here to see King of Kings Project Flickr album.

Washington Building Congress Brings Pro Team to Help Alexandria Couple
Washington Building Congress (WBC) is a commercial trade association consisting of businesses from the real estate, design, and construction community – a perfect partner for National Rebuilding Day. House Captain Juliane Medd brought together a skilled team of industry professionals to help Mr. and Mrs. H with repairs and modifications at their Alexandria home. Mrs. H is a wheelchair user and was not able to leave their home without assistance, so the installation of a ramp was a top priority for the team. Team member firms provided professional electricians, plumbers, carpenters, landscapers, and other volunteers to complete repairs and modifications including the installation of the ramp, a stove top vent, double stair railings, LED light fixtures, GFCI outlets, a comfort height toilet and bathroom grab bars. The WBC team helped the family by clearing out and disposing of old furniture, building shelves, and organizing their pantry and storage. The project had a large outdoor component, so the Landscape Team was busy clearing out the overgrowth and brought in a bobcat to haul out sections of a tree that had fallen years before. “Mr. H has a lot of pride in his property, and was especially proud of his blueberry bushes,” said House Captain Juliane Medd. “We cleared a path so he could get to the blueberries easily. Mr. H was overwhelmed with gratitude for all the work but especially the small touches that showed we were listening, and we cared about him and his wife.”
Click here to see the WBC Project Flickr album.

“It takes a tremendous amount of compassion, organization and coordination to develop good rapport with the homeowner and pull off a one-day project” said Patti Klein, RT-AFF Executive Director. “We are truly grateful to our partners and all the volunteers who came out for National Rebuilding Day to make life-changing repairs and modifications for our neighbors in need.”

Washington Building Congress NRD Team

National Rebuilding Day Was a Great Success!

May 26, 2022

Goodwill and hard work echoed throughout Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church (and around the country) on Saturday, April 30. Our faith and corporate partners, our individual volunteers who formed teams, and the professionals recruited to solve complex problems came together to support our neighbors in need.

April 20, 2022

April 30 is National Rebuilding Day!

Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church (Rebuilding Together AFF) will host more than 300 volunteers to repair 15 homes and nonprofit residential facilities on National Rebuilding Day – April 30, 2022 

Teams of volunteers from our faith and corporate partners will serve older adults, families with children, veterans,and two nonprofit housing services by making a variety of critical home repairs, including: flooring repairs and replacement, weatherization repairs, handrail replacements, accessibility modifications like grab bars and raised toilets, painting, landscaping, and other deferred maintenance items. The repairs are provided free of charge to our neighbors in need, who are often faced with diminishing resources and must choose food and medicine over critical home repairs. 

According to the National Center for Healthy Housing, 45 million homes in the United States have at least one serious home hazard present; these have the capacity to directly impact a family’s physical health and safety.

“The last few years have shown us the importance of having a safe place to call home,” said Patti Klein, Rebuilding Together AFF Executive Director. “The critical repairs being made not only in April, but year-round are improving the physical and mental health of our neighbors, increasing their safety and sense of independence and are improving their economic security and sense of community connection.”

Rebuilding Together AFF has been a leader in safe and healthy housing in our region since 1988. To date we’ve gathered over 70,000 volunteers who have made repairs and modifications on more than 2,500 homes and nonprofits. Our volunteers have provided over $15 million in donated labor.

National Rebuilding Day originated in 1973 in Midland, Texas with volunteers helping neighbors rebuild their homes. The group founded Rebuilding Together, at the time “Christmas in April,” and gathered around a month of service each year in April. The mission then grew beyond the idea of providing service one month per year to bringing volunteers together to provide neighbors in need with critical repairs year-round.

Please donate to support safe and healthy homes for everyone.

#WeAreRebuilders

Our Year in Review

December 21, 2021

All of us at Rebuilding Together Arlington/ Fairfax/ Falls Church want to express our deepest appreciation for our supporters and volunteers who have made our work possible, even during such challenging times. In 2021, our volunteers gave 3,200 hours to help us complete 89 projects (86 houses and 3 nonprofits). That amounts to $209,000 in donated labor!

80% of the households we help qualify as Very Low or Extremely Low income and could never afford these vital repairs and modifications on their own. We truly could not do this without your support. Please take a few minutes to watch our video and read our Year in Review to see how our services have touched many lives this past year and how the efforts of our volunteers, donors and partners add up to a significant community impact. We look forward to another successful year!

Click on the images below to open our Year in Review and to view our slideshow: