Rebuilding Together LI
Since 1992, Rebuilding Together Long Island (RTLI) has been dedicated to making homes safer, healthier and more accessible. The organization is powered by volunteers who give of their time and skills to serve neighbors in need, providing a variety of home repairs and more to help Long Islanders deal with situations that may be overwhelming, while remaining independent and connected to the communities they call home.
They aptly call it “affordable housing preservation.” I first met them through my beloved Queen of Freeport, Lois Howes, who met them herself as part of her neighborly adventures with the Friends of Freeport after Superstorm Sandy. She introduced me to their Vice President, Steve Walker. Since then, Steve has become a dedicated Firefly as well, often finding ways to use art to advance his passion for RTLI.
Full Disclosure: They Kindly Hired Me!
We’ve long talked about writing about RTLI, and somehow just haven’t gotten it together. Now, I have even more reason as, full disclosure, I am honored and excited to personally join Rebuilding Together Long Island as a part time Manager of Corporate Development.
This is not the type of thing I would normally do. I haven’t been anyone’s employee in about 25 years, treasure my freedom as an independent consultant, and was quite frankly hesitant. However, I find this organization uniquely down to earth and community oriented. I am also grateful they respect the other things I do, may each in synergy strengthen the other. Still, if it wasn’t for a Firefly Artist who has also appreciated Synchronicity and has been passionate about RTLI for as long as I’ve known him, I would have gratefully refused!
Having said that, I am very happy to be here and hopeful to be of good service!
A Very Local Chapter
Having accepted, I am even more excited to share this good work and help them to grow. RTLI is a very local chapter of a national organization that really seems to understand that the magic of what they do happens on the ground in a spirit of community. Please understand, I’m not against national organizations. They have important roles to play. Rather, I’m all in for local groups and human connections, and helping folks understand how deeply important they are.
I’m just beginning to get the story of how these particular folks got together. I can tell you already it’s a group of 1,000 sweet tales, and not always the kinds you’d expect!
RTLI was founded by a few local gentlemen named Joe Botkin and Sol Goldstein who are no longer with us but remain deeply beloved and appreciated. The network now stretches across Long Island, with a significant core now having served for decades. While I’ve gotten used to how this works with artists, I marvel at how some of these folks seem to use this experience of volunteer physical labor as a fountain of youth. It’s impressive!
They are always looking for more volunteers, especially folks with relevant skill sets who like working with layman volunteers. Furthermore, they are interested in partnering with other groups to see how we can better serve our region. They would love to speak with you about whom else they should be talking to, and how everyone may get involved.
Some Touching Coverage
Check out the RTLI website where you can find a really nice piece put together by NBC Universal, as well as a lot of other information. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Here’s an article in Newsday (mind the paywall, please support local press) that talks about the deep impact they have on local families. Here’s another one from NBC New York,
It’s mostly regular homes with everyday neighbors, but they do a bit more, too. Here’s a piece from News12, where they covered a wheelchair ramp built for a VFW in Port Washington. RTLI has even gotten involved in historic preservation, forming a hyper local group that included the Chair of the local Historic Preservation Commission to restore windows on an historic home in Southold. You can read about that in the Riverhead News Review.
Leads Welcome!
Thank you to folks who already know and have supported this good work. I’m praying I can introduce them to more, learn what folks’ experiences have been, and see how we all might serve each other well.
Even though my focus is corporate fundraising, these folks can’t finish a sentence without talking about how what they really want to do is build relationships to better serve our neighbors, helping people to stay in their homes and fix what’s broken. Yes, they want and need funding to meet ever growing expenses and to continue to help folks maintain and rebuild. Yes, I’m looking for leads to do that, but it’s also about volunteers and partnerships and, most fundamentally, community.
If you’re interested and would like to know more, please let me know. Thanks!
