25 homes in Springfield will be repaired and restored through the agency’s "Funnel Your Energy for Rebuilding Together" initiative.
SPRINGFIELD – Dolores Culp got a brand-new roof from Rebuilding Together, a local charitable agency focused on helping low-income homeowners rehabilitate their homes, just last year.
It was promptly reclaimed by Mother Nature in June.
The 59-year-old retired U.S. Army veteran arrived at her home at 30 Amanda St. after the June 1 tornado to find her new roof in pieces, her chimney gone, her garage damaged and every tree on her property toppled over – primarily onto her house.
But, she was grateful to be alive, and was subsequently grateful for what she deems extraordinary help from neighbors, strangers, the city, and charitable agencies, including the local Red Cross and Salvation Army.
“I go to church and believe in God. And I know He’ll only put so much on your shoulders, and I can’t thank all the people who helped me enough,” said Culp, whose house sits in one of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods in East Forest Park.
She is poised to get yet another helping hand from Rebuilding Together Springfield in October. Culp’s will be among 25 homes in the city to get repaired and restored through the agency’s “Funnel Your Energy for Rebuilding Together” initiative Oct. 1 through Oct. 5.
Twenty-five homes in five days is one of the nonprofit’s most ambitious plans and will be targeted specifically toward tornado victims who also are low-income homeowners. Typically its only criteria are that applicants are low-income homeowners. They also have initiatives that target veterans, which is among the reasons Culp benefited previously.
Colleen S. Loveless, executive director of Rebuilding Together in Springfield, said they hope to pick up where insurance companies and FEMA leave off. “If something falls outside insurance or involves high deductibles – that’s where we come in,” Loveless said, adding that the agency wants to help with long-term rebuilding efforts. The government has estimated recovery may take up to 18 months.
The Springfield branch recently came off a $3,000 fund-raiser that took place Tuesday – in the midst of the latest weather debacle for the region – and the money will be used toward the October campaign for tornado victims.
The Rebuilding Together campaigns are bolstered by volunteers. TD Bank is providing hundreds of employees from Florida to Maine to volunteer in October, Loveless said. More than 20 Rebuilding Together affiliates also will assist. Potential applicants can call the Springfield office at (413) 788-0014 to receive an application in the mail or download an application from www.rebuildingtogetherspringfield.org.