I stepped outside this morning and was thrilled to feel a bit of crispness in the air. What a treat for those of us who are weary of the scorching heat of Arizona summers! And then my mind went a little numb when I realized that it's already October and soon we will all be busy with fall activities and the rush toward the holiday season. It seems the older we get, the faster the seasons fly by.
And speaking of seasons, Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun is entering a new season. A season of endings, beginnings, and progress.
I am beyond excited that our ability to serve clients is regaining momentum and, once again, I frequently see our wonderful Safe at Home volunteers in the warehouse as they pick up fall prevention equipment and build ramp modules. It was really lonely at the warehouse for quite a while!
I am also thrilled that RTVOS is hosting our friends from Enterprise this week at a VFW facility that needs a little TLC. I can’t wait to work alongside these awesome volunteers again. It’s been WAY too long!
And I am pleased to invite those of you who are interested in volunteering to join us on one of the seven upcoming ramp builds currently in the works.
For those of you who follow us on social media, you may have noticed some new faces at Rebuilding Together. Frank Howard, Jr. and Jenna Wasylak both joined the RTVOS team in late August and have already made great strides in their roles. You will be seeing more of them as we continue to move cautiously toward scheduling more projects and in-person gatherings.
Now for the endings. I am saddened to share that Alexa Duke, our volunteer manager extraordinaire, and my right hand for the last four years, has decided to leave RTVOS to move closer to her father in Texas. Alexa has weathered many storms by my side over the past couple of years. Together, we kept RTVOS going during the pandemic, finding ways to continue the mission when we couldn’t send volunteers into homes. She led Rebuilding Together through the Points of Light Foundation’s Service Enterprise Initiative certification program, revamped all our volunteer training materials and job descriptions, and endeared herself to our volunteers. She has been my rock, my sounding board, and my gatekeeper during her tenure here, and she will be greatly missed.
Please join me in wishing Alexa well as she moves on to her next adventure and welcoming Jenna and Frank to the team.
