HELPERS DO HOUSEWORK
By Jerry Libonati Staff Writer Sun Sentinel
David Reierson of Fort Lauderdale has been working on home repairs, doing a little carpentry and making the exterior of the house a little more appealing. But it's not his house. He's a volunteer for Rebuilding Together, a national organization with a self-defined mission of revitalizing the houses of low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly or disabled.
Reierson is part of a team of workers that recently descended on six homes in the Boulevard Gardens area to repair and replace worn eaves, shore up and paint exterior walls and do landscaping at no cost to the resident.
Each home is sponsored by a different corporation, and each has a house captain who is knowledgeable about building and maintenance. Reierson, who has a background in construction and is retired from Lucent Technologies, is the captain of a home in the 100 block of Northwest 30th Avenue. "I've been to the home several times to do preparation work, including carpentry, home repairs and some of the primary painting," said Reierson, 50. "So it takes a fair amount of preparation to get ready for the final day when we get 15 or so volunteers painting, landscaping, laying sod and planting bushes."
Reierson got involved as a means to "make contributions to this community
we live in." And it is no coincidence that his wife, Nancy, is development
director of Leadership Broward Foundation Inc. "My wife thought I would
be a good volunteer, and like a good husband I said yes." The modest response
belies Reierson's charity work and his commitment to move "out of the
for-profit world and into the nonprofit. I am looking to start another career
in international disaster relief and humanitarian aid," he said.
The home serviced by Reierson and Rebuilding Together is owned by Jose Perera, 68, who lives there with his niece. According to tenant Joe Martins, who lives in the apartment in the rear, Perera's parents lived in the house for 35 years before he joined them in 1980 when he came to the United States from Havana during the Mariel boatlift. Martins, who interpreted, said Perera is on Social Security disability for an injured arm and could not have done the work himself.
In most counties, Rebuilding Together is autonomous, but in Broward it comes under the sponsorship of Leadership Broward Foundation, whose executive director is Anne Hotte of Fort Lauderdale. "We don't just want to do instant beautification, we want to strengthen the local homeowner's associations," Hotte said. "We pick a neighborhood and work with the homeowner's president. They get involved in the process of selecting the homes. It gives them a sense of ownership when they participate." Hotte said the associations see the positive results and begin to do the same thing for themselves. She said if there's a little extra money left over, she'll offer it to them. "It makes a huge difference for their morale and for the neighborhood in general," Hotte said. Jerry Libonati can be reached at jlibonati@sun-sentinel.com, or 954-572-2014.
Rebuilding
Together Broward County, Inc.
Click Here to Contact Us
401 SE 15th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
phone: 954-462-6200 ext.#203
fax: 954-764-1081