Welcome to Construction Coordinator Eduardo Cardenas

Please join us in welcoming our Construction Coordinator Eduardo Cardenas to our team! Eduardo will work with our Program Manager to plan and oversee projects, including previewing projects, developing the scopes of work, determining volunteer and contracted labor needs, supervising volunteers, performing repairs and accessibility modifications, and working to ensure that projects are completed within budget and time constraints.

Eduardo comes to Rebuilding Together with over 20 years of experience in home renovation and construction work and over 15 years of community engagement work with neighborhood councils, labor rights organizations and energy efficiency reform efforts. He is particularly excited to have the opportunity to work directly with folks to improve their homes because he recognizes that every house is special and vital to the wellbeing and happiness of those who call it home. Eduardo also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and a Master of Fine Arts in Ecological Architecture from Vesper College.

Eduardo said, “My many years of construction experience, along with my background in art, sustainability, and mission-driven but budget-limited organizations, have helped me become incredibly good at coming up with creative solutions to logistics and building challenges in collaborative settings with diverse participants.”

Eduardo lives in South Minneapolis and loves to make special piñatas and Halloween costumes for his two young kids.

AmeriCorps Member Julia Bina’s Independent Service Project

Each AmeriCorps member is responsible for planning and implementing an Independent Service Project during their term of service, and Julia Bina recently completed her project. She invited women associated with the Rice Street Royalty Program to Rebuilding Together to take a brief class on the basics of construction and then build birdhouses and little free libraries to be donated to the Rice Street Community. The Rice Street Royalty Program is a local community ambassador program whose mission is to empower women through community leadership. Each year, women participate in the program’s candidate experience in which they engage in service projects, community events, and professional development. At the end of candidacy, three women are selected to represent the program for one year as Rice Street Royalty Queen and Princesses. Julia had the three current royal ladies, eight candidates, and two of this year’s judges participate in her event. The group made 12 birdhouses and two little free libraries that will be installed/donated to the community. Thank you to Julia for putting together this great project and to the Rice Street Royalty Program for volunteering their time!

Wells Fargo Give Back

We would like to send a special thanks to Wells Fargo who provided another generous grant to us this year to help several families in need!

One of the people we helped is Nicole, who purchased the home she grew up in from her mom. Nicole’s mom still lives there, along with Nicole and her two daughters – three generations of women living under one roof! Nicole is a special education teacher. While she does an excellent job of maintaining her home, when she discovered that her main sewer line was about to burst, the repair was more than her salary could handle.

The grant from Wells Fargo allowed us to fix Nicole’s main sewer line. Nicole said “Thank you, this is a dream come true, I can hardly believe this is happening!”

The fixed sewer line means that Nicole, her mom, and her kids can continue to live in a safe, healthy, and affordable home. Thank you Wells Fargo!

Opus Group Ramp Team Volunteers to Help Kids in Need Foundation

We would like to thank and recognize members of The Opus Group Ramp Team, who installed a partition wall and built barn doors for the Kids in Need Foundation’s Customer Service Area/Store in Roseville. The Kids in Need Foundation is a nonprofit that provides school supplies and materials to kids throughout the country, as well as teachers that serve in schools in low income/disadvantaged areas.

Special thanks to Craig Larson and Marco Alfaro from our Opus Ramp Team for taking on this project and doing an amazing job!