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Rebuilding Together Saratoga
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Schuylerville, New York 12871
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Volunteer work 'just makes sense'

Youthful retiree finds joy in sharing gifts, helping others
Monday, June 16, 2008
By Tatiana Zarnowski (Contact) Gazette Reporter

Photographer: Marc Schultz NORTHUMBERLAND - From carpentry to computer networking to counting turtles, Paula Lomasney is willing to pitch in.The 53-year-old Northumberland woman took a year off after her 2005 retirement from Hewlett Packard’s Saratoga Springs office, then decided to jump into volunteer work.

She’d never really been a regular volunteer before because of her work schedule and frequent business traveling. "She called out of the blue last year before our spring workday,” said Michelle Larkin, executive director of Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, which helps seniors and low-income homeowners by doing free home repairs.

Lomasney said she was excited to discover Rebuilding Together because she’d thought about starting a similar group. “I’d been thinking about this for a number of years,” she said. “I came upon Rebuilding Together, and I thought, ‘This is a great match.’ Lomasney volunteered last spring and, because of her construction skills, this year was appointed house captain on two sites, where she was responsible for setting up the sites and overseeing other volunteers.

Phillies lend helping hand in community

Thursday, June 12, 2008
By STAN HUDY, The Saratogian

MECHANICVILLE — When the Saratoga Phillies collegiate baseball team isn’t swinging for the fences, tearing up the base paths or gunning down opposing runners, they’re doing their part to help out in the communities that support them during the summer.

On Monday afternoon, the Phillies were on hand at the Mechanicville Community Center brightening things up in the gymnasium, adding a new coat of paint to the walls during the first leg of their community service triple crown program.

“It wasn’t a surprise to us,” catcher Larry Pempek ( Northern Kentucky University ) said. “They support us, it’s the least we could do.”

Lending A Helping Hammer

Saratoga.com
May 6, 2008

Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, Inc. is a local chapter of a national organization, offering free home renovation services to low-income families, elderly couples and the disabled throughout Saratoga County.

Every year, the last weekend in April is designated the official 'workday' by the national Rebuilding Together organization. The local Saratoga County chapter adds additional workdays in the spring and has begun to add them in the fall to accommodate even more families in need each year.

"We do the bulk of our work in the spring," said Executive Director Michele Larkin. "Last year we started to add fall projects, and we have a great deal lined up for this year as well."

Michele Larkin founded Rebuilding Together Saratoga County (RTSC) in November 2003 with an informational meeting. The organization has been growing ever since, boasting over 600 volunteers in 2007.

Volunteers make extreme repairs

Vivian Urdaneta making repairs and renovations

Photographer: Ana Zangroniz

The Daily Gazette - By JESSICA HARDING
Sunday, April 20, 2008

WILTON — Melissa Utermark loves ABC television host Ty Pennington. She watches his “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” every week.

Saturday, Utermark was experiencing her own extreme home makeover as volunteers from Rebuilding Together’s Saratoga chapter made “extreme” home repairs to her house in the Pyramid Pines Mobile Home Park.

Utermark’s home was designated by Rebuilding Together sponsor Sears, Roebuck and Co. as a “Heroes at Home” site because her husband, Bill Utermark, is in the U.S. Army Reserve serving in Afghanistan. Utermark’s home received extra money to make repairs.

Utermark received a new roof to replace the previous one, which was caving in and unsafe, new windows, new skirting to prevent small animals from nesting there, a new back porch, new doors and a coat of paint.

Rebuilding Saratoga together

Andy Miller does his part and volunteers

Photographer: Matthew Turri/Saratogian

The Saratogian - By ANN MARIE FRENCH
Sunday, April 20, 2008

GANSEVOORT — The Gee family found themselves a bit overwhelmed by the volunteers who showed up on the doorstep of their home Saturday morning.

“No one has ever done anything for me before like this,” said Calvin Gee. “This is quite a project.”

The project includes rebuilding a deck off the front of their home to accommodate a wheelchair lift they will be installing. The door leading to that deck will be replaced, as will the steps leading from the back door. The porch area is getting new walls and the bathroom will get a new coat of paint. Beyond those identified tasks, other volunteers will rake leaves and pick up fallen branches in the yard.

This event marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of a local chapter of Rebuilding Together.

Founded in 2003 when Michelle Larkin gathered friends and family members to a meeting and asked for their commitment to helping neighbors in need, Rebuilding Together Saratoga Count (RTSC) has grown in size each year. Its Web site, www.rebuildingtogethersaratoga.com, states 5 projects were completed in 2004 with 100 volunteers. By 2007, the nonprofit saw 517 volunteers working together to complete 30 projects.

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