Hundreds Of Local Volunteers Team Up To Revitalize Homes In Need On May 7

Seven community groups have joined forces with AmeriCares HomeFront to revitalize five homes in Danbury, Newtown, and New Fairfield on Saturday, May 7.

Supporting HomeFront’s mission of making homes more livable for neighbors in need, the volunteer teams will impact the lives of dozens of homeowners, donating time and expertise to complete critical repairs that would otherwise be beyond reach. Joining these civic and corporate volunteers are professional tradespeople who also contribute their time, supervising projects such as replacing aging doors and windows, installing wheelchair ramps, and repairing roofs and heating systems at no cost to the homeowners.

Experts from This Old House will be joining HomeFront to revitalize the home of a senior citizen and former music teacher in Norwalk at 11 McAllister Avenue. Master carpenter Norm Abram, landscape contractor Roger Cook, general contractor Tom Silva, and heating and plumbing expert Rich Trethewey will guide their crew of behind-the-scenes colleagues from the award-winning home improvement series, as well as volunteers from This Old House magazine and thisoldhouse.com.

“We are now in our eighth year of collaboration with this highly acclaimed group of experts and we continue to be struck by the force of their commitment,” said Sean O’Brien, director of AmeriCares HomeFront.

Local participating volunteers form part of a network of 105 faith-based, civic and corporate groups, in total, fanning out across 43 communities in Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, and Litchfield Counties, as well as New York’s Westchester County. Among the many volunteers from Newtown and Sandy Hook are the Knights of Columbus Council 185 of St Rose of Lima Church, Newtown Lions, Newtown Congregational Church, and the United Methodist Church. AmeriCares

HomeFront Day is made possible with the participation of all of these volunteers, plus financial and in-kind donations from individuals, foundations, and product manufacturers. While the bulk of HomeFront Day’s activities are geared to low-income homeowners including senior citizens and single-parent families, several teams will work to repair deserving community centers. At the conclusion of HomeFront Day 2005, volunteers will have revitalized more than 2,150 properties since 1988.

AmeriCares is a nonprofit humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization that supports long-term medical assistance programs and provides emergency relief in the United States and around the world. In the US, AmeriCares provides basic medical services for the uninsured, refurbishes the homes of the physically and financially disadvantaged, and gives a summer camping experience to inner-city children affected by HIV/AIDS. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $4 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries.

For more information, visit the AmeriCares website at www.AmeriCares.org or call 800-486-HELP.