Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP) repaired

and rebuilt six homes and one community facility benefiting low-income, elderly and/or disabled neighbors and families with children.

Four projects took place in Pacifica, two in Half Moon Bay and one in El Granada to make local neighbors safe, warm and independent.

Volunteer teams funded by the County of San Mateo, DPR Construction and Saint Peter Church Saturday, April 26th tackled various projects including roof repair and/or replacement, installing grab-bars and/or railings, replacing windows, repairing electrical and heating systems, landscaping and hauling debris, installing fencing, painting and fixing leaky faucets. Each of these projects implemented energy and water efficiency

measures to further occupants' independence with the additional ability to save money on their utilities.

Here is what Rebuilding Together found behind some quiet doors in the Pacifica community.

An 80-year-old woman who does not turn on her furnace in the winter for lack of funds.

An elderly disabled couple who have only space heaters and needed handicap accessibility upgrades to their modest home.

A single mom raising three children (one with autism) while recovering from a broken back.

A 65-year-old son, on fixed income, caring for his invalid mother. They had no working stove and holes in their bathroom floor and walls.

Many neighbors have worked hard all their lives and have been physically and financially able to repair their homes for most of that time. Now due to illness, aging, inflation or job loss, they are unable to fund this work on their own and their homes have deteriorated.

Each homeowner has his or her own story, but one theme is constant: neighbors on fixed incomes are being forced out of their homes or are making agonizing decisions to forgo even basic home maintenance. The result is unsafe conditions, a loss of the homeowner's dignity and crumbling neighborhoods. Rebuilding Together

Peninsula eliminates these hardships for our recipients. One day of volunteer effort does make a difference in people's lives.

Leading the efforts RTP Board Member, Bob O'Donnell, longtime Pacifica resident, recruited volunteers from six Pacifica churches, Pacifica firefighters, Half Moon Bay Fire Department and Half Moon Bay Lions Club.

"The combined efforts of six Pacifica churches who worked on the Rebuilding Together projects this last weekend were sensational. Almost 100 persons from our congregations answered the call to arms and worked very hard this past weekend to improve the lot of some of our most needy neighbors," O'Donnell said. "With calls to 'let's do this again next year' we knew we had a success on our hands.

Here

(PHOTOS BY FRANK CIMO AND COURTESY OF BOB O'DONNELL)
in a nutshell is what was accomplished by our church members, six churches, St. Peters, Good Shepherd, St. Andrew, St. Edmund, Holy Cross :

Lutheran and New Life Christian Fellowship volunteered at three Pacifica sites and one site in El Granada.

The Manor Drive project improvements included: roofing, painting of the exterior, stucco repairs, building a new stairway, debris removal, building a fence and gate, electrical repairs, and landscaping.

The Miller Drive project improvements included painting the two story home, building a railing for the 2nd floor deck, extensive debris removal, repairs to windows and a gate, and landscaping.

The Juanita Ave. project improvements included a bathroom remodel, dry rot repair, painting of the exterior and interior, extensive debris removal, major clearing in the front and back yards and landscaping.

El Granada: Carpeting and painting of the interior, painting the exterior, handicap accessibility improvements, major front and back yard improvements. This was coordinated with the Half Moon Bay Fire Dept. personnel and the local Lions Club.

"We received tremendous support from our Construction Captains and Volunteer Coordinators: Manor Drive: Dave Premenko and Bill Provence, Miller Drive: Austin Harkins and Sue Bernardi, Juanita Ave: Rick Lee and Scott Hoag. We are also grateful to Kate Chinca for helping with volunteer spreadsheets and to Sister Dianne Nixon for helping to coordinate our multi-church outreach to the program," O'Donnell said.

"It was inspiring to see not only the physical transformation to these homes but also the renewed spirit and hope in the eyes of the recipients. They were amazed and deeply gratified at the outpouring of generosity from our community. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the members of the church communities in Pacifica who participated in this effort.

In addition to these four sites staffed by the church groups, the Pacifica Firefighters also took on a separate project on Donaldson Avenue in Rockaway Beach. They were led by Construction Captain Andy Sloane and Volunteer Coordinator Ryan Fredrick. The Pacifica Firefighters were joined by Fire Science students from the College of San Mateo and in a tremendous effort, painted the exterior and landscaped, added a patio, cleaned and painted the interior, added handicap accessible hardware, and installed two new gas wall heaters for the residence. The owners were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of our local firefighters.

Rebuilding Together is much more than simply fixing houses, it is about making homes and communities better places to live.

"Together RTP and the Pacifica volunteers build a deeper sense of local community responsibility, resulting in sustainable, safer and cleaner neighborhoods. Our success relies on the partnerships with local communities like Half Moon Bay and Pacifica," says Kristina Knudsen, Rebuilding Together Peninsula's Director of Development and Communications.