Sears and Craftsman Make a Difference for Military Family

We were thrilled to partner with Craftsman, Sears Heroes at Home program and Greiner Construction last month to help a military family in need.  Joy is a single mother of two boys; and her oldest son is currently completing his training for military service. In the past, it has been a struggle for Joy to hold on to her house, but upon first glance you would not know it. She is extremely resourceful and has taken on many of her household repairs herself, including dry walling her entire garage. Joy is very supportive of her son’s choice to join the military and hopes to keep the house as a place for him to return.

On July 26th, we partnered with volunteers from Greiner Construction to repair Joy’s home.  Volunteers replaced flooring, painted, installed drywall and made other repairs.  This project was part of the Craftsman Make a Difference Tour, which traveled across the country this summer restoring the homes of veterans in need.  The Make a Difference Truck provided tools for this project and the Sears Heroes at Home program provided financial support.  Thank you to everyone who came together to help Joy and her family!

Welcome New Rebuilding Together President and CEO Charley Shimanski

The Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together, Inc. recently announced that after an extensive nationwide search, it has elected Charles S. Shimanski as president and chief executive officer (CEO).

As president and CEO, Charley will have responsibility for the overall management of Rebuilding Together. He will be responsible for developing, establishing and implementing strategic goals for the organization moving forward and will be the key liaison to the 187 affiliates across the nation. He also will serve as the primary spokesperson and national fundraiser for Rebuilding Together.

Charley joins Rebuilding Together from the American Red Cross, where he has served since 2008. He worked at Red Cross national headquarters since 2010, most recently as a senior vice president of Development and as senior vice president of Disaster Services. Prior to that, Charley was CEO of the Red Cross regional office in Denver. During his tenure at the Red Cross, Charley created and implemented fundraising campaigns, led major disaster relief programs and worked closely with affiliate organizations. Prior to the Red Cross, he was president and CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association from 2004-2008. From 1993-2004, Charley served as the executive director of The American Alpine Club in Colorado.

Charley is also the author of several guidebooks on nonprofit excellence and individual giving. He served on the National Advisory Council for the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and on the National Advisory Council for the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University in 2011. He received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.

Charley’s strong experience and knowledge of nonprofits, fundraising, affiliate relationships, and disaster recovery will help guide Rebuilding Together to best serve our vision of a safe and healthy home for every person.  We are thrilled to have him lead our organization.  Welcome Charley!

Thanks to Travelers Companies, Inc.

We would like to give a huge thanks to Travelers for their support of our work in the Twin Cities.  They recently held the Fifth Annual Travelers LDP Charity Golf Scramble at the Dellwood Hills Golf Club, and raised more than $30,000 that will enable us help more homeowners in need.  This would not be possible without the hard work of the LDP planning committee and the continued support of the Travelers community.  Thank you again to Travelers, the LDP planning committee and everyone who participated in this event!