MPCHS Press Releases

Press Releases

MCPHS students and their project leader Dann Colburn (lower left) at one of the work sites. The group completed a variety of tasks and is seen at a Worcester home standing on a set stairs they replaced.

MCPHS Students, Faculty & Staff Help Rebuild Worcester

The weekend of April 18-20, 40 MCPHS-Worcester faculty, staff, students and their families volunteered their time and energy to work with Rebuilding Together Worcester (RTW). This was the 8th year of operation for RTW and its most productive year to date. A record 250 volunteers helped to renovate ten homes of low-income residents, and three buildings operated by non-profit community organizations. Kevin Kearney, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, serves as President of RTW, and Josh Aiello, Service Learning & Community Outreach Coordinator, is the volunteer coordinator for the organization. Planning for the weekend began in January, with meetings held at MCPHS.

This year, with a grant from the Sears “Heroes-at-Home” program, the group renovated the home of a Marine Corps veteran. On the first day of the project, the team learned that the homeowner would be returning to Iraq for a second tour of duty, and will be seeing the completed renovations when he returns to the U.S. in one year. In another home, volunteers replaced a crumbling retaining wall, installed an awning over a ramp, and did various other repairs to make a home more accessible to a 14-year-old boy who was paralyzed in an accident. With several of the homes belonging to seniors, important repairs to floors, stairs and light fixtures will help many of those residents to remain in their homes. Extensive painting work was also completed at a homeless shelter, as well as a residence for graduates of another shelter who are working to get back on their feet.

RTW raised more than $10,000 to purchase materials, and volunteers contributed $30,000 in work hours. A total of $40,000 in renovations were done at no cost to the homeowners. RTW is the local affiliate of Rebuilding Together, which is renovating 10,000 properties across the country during this year’s events.

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