Jersey City, NJ – SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 – On Wednesday, September 18, Rebuilding Together Jersey City, a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, is joining together with Philips and its local employees to renovate two Jersey City homes affected by Hurricane Sandy.

More than 30 Philips volunteers will work throughout the day on two homes in the Greenville neighborhood that were inundated with several feet of water after Hurricane Sandy passed through last year and flooded Newark Bay.

Volunteers will make extensive repairs to the walls and floors of a home owned by a retired couple who has lived there for 33 years. Several streets away, Rebuilding Together and Philips volunteers will do similar work in the home of a single retired woman who has lived there for more than 20 years.

“Rebuilding Together Jersey City is grateful to all of the Philips volunteers for pitching in today,” said Joan Parzel, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Jersey City. “Our partnership with the Philips Cares community service program reflects the commitment we both have to helping families in need across the country.”

Philips and Rebuilding Together formed their partnership this year and agreed to collaborate on a series of home and neighborhood revitalization projects throughout 2013 across the country.

Philips Cares is the regionâ€s community service program that encourages employees to give back to the communities where they live, work, and play. Through Philips Cares, Philips employees work together to create healthy, sustainable communities that contribute to the success and well-being of future generations. Through partnerships with local organizations, Philips fosters sustainable communities and makes a difference in the areas that are most important to Philips and its employees; health, education and the environment.

About Rebuilding Together:

Rebuilding Together is a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home. Our focus provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes and community centers at no cost to service recipients. Our impact extends beyond the individuals served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the country. Our close to 200 local affiliates complete nearly 10,000 rebuild projects a year thanks to the efforts of nearly 200,000 volunteers from corporate partners, skilled trades professionals and everyday good citizens. Join us — visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

 About Royal Philips:

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving peopleâ€s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2012 sales of EUR 24.8 billion and employs approximately 115,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

 

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All-Volunteer Home Rehabilitation Organization Set to Improve

3 Jersey City Homes and 5 Community Facilities

21 Years in Jersey City – More Than 302 Homes Renewed!

 JERSEY CITY, NJ   April 6, 2012 – Commencing the week of April 9^th, Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School cafeteria in Jersey City will be transformed into “Command Central” as Rebuilding Together Jersey City gets ready to improve the lives of three Jersey City homeowners and five not-for-profit organizations being refurbished on Saturday, April 14, 2012.  On that day, the Bramhall Street cafeteria that is usually filled with school children will instead be filled with lumber, ladders, paint, and all the tools and materials needed to save the Jersey City homes of people unable to make repairs for themselves.

 The Jersey City Chapter of Rebuilding Together Jersey City is one of more than 200 nation-wide affiliates of the largest, nonsectarian, nonprofit, home rehabilitation organization in the United States who are working to preserve affordable home ownership and revitalize communities.  Rebuilding Together works in collaboration with communities and local businesses to provide free rehabilitation and critical repairs to the homes of low-income Americans!

 Since the Jersey City chapter began in 1991, Rebuilding Together Jersey City has made more than $2.9 million dollars worth of improvements to more than 313 homes and community facilities.  Rebuilding Together’s mission is to bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of homeowners in need, and the organization’s ultimate goal is to provide a safe and healthy home for every person. The Jersey City chapter helps homeowners continue living in the homes they worked their whole lives to own by mending those things that add to their quality-of-life.

 In a unique partnership, more than 500 skilled and unskilled volunteers of all ages will gather at 7:00 AM at the school before being dispatched to the 8 Jersey sites, including the Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School, the organization’s host.  Skilled labor comes from the Hudson County Carpenters Local #6, IBEW Electricians LU #164, Hudson County Plumbers Local #24, Bricklayers and Allied Craftsman Local #4, Northern Jersey Plasterers & Cement Masons Local #29, Building Trades Laborers Local #21 and Local #325, and Heavy Construction Laborers Local #472.  Volunteers from dozens of local businesses and service organizations such as The Provident Bank, Honeywell Employee Group, United Water, Pershing Securities, Inc., Connell Foley LLP, St. Peter’s College, St. Peter’s Prep, the Jerramiah T. Healy Foundation, and the City of Jersey City provide the supplemental unskilled labor.

 The City of Jersey City is a major partner in the Rebuilding Together effort, contributing a Community Development Block Grant, the Parking Authority’s cooperation for container placement, and the Jersey City Police Department’s help with traffic control.

 Anyone over 18 years old can volunteer!  Interested parties may either call (201) 222-2636 prior to the April 14, 2012 event, or can register in person on Rebuilding Day at the school cafeteria between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.  Assignments will be given at that time.  Volunteers should plan to spend the entire day and are urged to wear work clothes and sturdy shoes.  All volunteers will receive a Rebuilding Day T-shirt and will be treated to a light breakfast, lunch, and a celebratory barbeque at the end of the day.

 You can also join us at our 14th Annual Fundraiser and Awards Dinner on Friday May 4, 2012 at 6:00pm at Puccini’s Restaurant, 1064 Westside Avenue, Jersey City.  The event will feature a four hour open bar, a gourmet buffet dinner, and music.  Journal advertisements are available as well.  For tickets or ad rates please call (201) 222-2636

The post REBUILDING TOGETHER JERSEY CITY first appeared on River View Observer.

On Saturday, April 14th, hundreds of caring citizens and employees of companies in Hudson County and elsewhere will volunteer their time to do much needed repairs on other homes in Jersey City. Rebuilding Together Jersey City is part of a national program, Rebuilding Together, the nationâ€s largest volunteer-based provider of home-repair services. For over a decade their mission has been to rehabilitate the homes of low-income, elderly or disabled persons, or families with children, at no cost to them, so they may live in safety, warmth and independence. This year itâ€s marking the rehabilitation of its 100,000th house with a six-month-plus celebration that highlights rebuilding events in cities and communities throughout America.

The “100,000th House Celebration,” which involves the participation of affiliates across the nation, was launched Oct. 14, 2006, the celebration will culminate with media events across the country on National Rebuilding Day, April 28, 2007. The goal is to focus attention on the work done by more than 3 million volunteers and the delivery of approximately $1 billion in home rehabilitation services since the creation of Rebuilding Together 18 years ago.

Joan Kowalski, the co-president of Rebuilding Together Jersey City, has been involved with the program for eleven years, along with her husband. This year, Ms. Kowalski expects at least five hundred or more volunteers, which has been the average for the past five years. “We get the local unions, businesses, law firms, developers, banks, and financial firms. And of course we get individual volunteers from around the area. We are very grateful for the support from companies and individuals.” The staging area where volunteers meet is St. Patrickâ€s School on Bramhall Avenue in Jersey City. “They allow us to store our supplies there as well as allow us to use the school as a staging area for our volunteers. And, we actually do work on the school as well,” Ms. Kowalski said.

When it comes to why people and companies do volunteer work like this in their own community Ms. Kowalski believes itâ€s just being good neighbors. “Itâ€s great team building. Itâ€s a way to see no matter what kind of projects you are working on that you need to come together as a team to complete the project and itâ€s truly helping your neighbor. I think people really learn to take stock and appreciate what they have when they go into the homes they are working on and see how some people are living.”

There is a pre-screening application each year available to Jersey City homeowners who are interested in being considered for the program. “We look at the financials and make sure they fit our mission and then we go to the house and create a wish list. As people age we really like to keep them in their homes so we try to fix their houses for both comfort and safety,” Ms. Kowalski explained. This year Rebuilding Together Jersey City received thirty-four applications. They expect to repair eleven homes and three or four not-for profits.

Rebuilding Together Jersey City would not be possible without the financial help of a number of local and national businesses and organizations like the Jerramiah T. Healy Charitable Foundation for a Better Jersey City. The foundation is a non-profit with the mission to help needy individuals and causes within the city limits. True to that mission, the foundation recently gave Rebuilding Together Jersey City, a generous grant.

Provident Bank, a responsible business neighbor in Hudson County for years has also been a sponsor in supporting Rebuilding Together Jersey City for about ten years. Mike Parcell, a vice president at Provident Bank in Jersey City has been involved in the program with other Provident employees. “Each year Provident donates money to Rebuilding Together Jersey City. We also have employees of Provident who give their time and work on renovating one of the homes. Itâ€s a great cause, and it just makes people feel good.”

One of the most generous grants (30,000 dollars) came from the Jersey City Division of Community Development. Ms. Darice Toon-Bell, its director, believes that Rebuilding Together Jersey City is a very worthwhile program. “This program helps low income families, disabled people and senior citizens to make critical repairs to their homes and without this assistance these homeowners would probably not be able to bring their properties up to code.” JC Division of Community Development which handles both federal and state entitlement grants has been helping this program for a number of years. “We give them money to help purchase supplies for repairs, and the wonderful thing about this is that we get a lot of bang for the buck. We give them what I would consider a small amount of money but they are able to leverage this money with sweat equity, which is the bottom line. Itâ€s a perfect marriage.”

Some of the other local institutions that volunteer their time and donate money are United Water, Morgan Stanley, Pershing, Honeywell and others.

If you are interested in volunteering your time or donating money for Rebuilding Together Jersey City please call 201-222-2636 for more information

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