It’s Spring! We can see the sun, feel the warmth and finally begin to imagine how beautiful the rest of our spring and summer season will be! It’s time to put on the garden gloves and to think of gardening!  With National Rebuilding Day on April 30th, we started by looking at, and returning to, our roots!  With the help of so many, three projects were successfully completed! More are already in process! Our roots are 30 years strong, they weathered the storm of the past two years, and are now continuing to grow. For us, National Rebuilding Day was like visiting and revisioning this year’s garden!  
 
All gardens start with a plan! I’m honored to take over the role of our past Executive Directors’ and have begun to plan what our future garden will look like. There are so many opportunities! We have strong roots, a dedicated board and staff team, amazing volunteers, and are supported by our community. These are the bones and elements already in existence and cultivated over the years.       

To grow, we will establish focal points. We have funders and grants that provide opportunity for us to expand our garden. This next year we will strengthen our efforts, increase our outreach in the rural areas of our community, and assist more neighbors in need! We will not lose sight of our current values and mission – and will continue to increase our vision of “safe homes and communities for everyone.”  Our focal points currently include elderly and veterans who are financially in need of support to care for their homes and age in place. 
 
All gardens need work! We may turn over the soil, apply fertilizer, transplant plants and introduce new elements to the garden. However, the effort will not change our mission of “repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives.”  We are preparing our 2022 application for distribution in the next month and continue to re-visit past applications for consideration. In the upcoming quarter, Program Manager Wyeth, Program Assistant Kathryn, and I will continue to work to create the beauty that we envision in our 30th year! Additional staff and volunteers are also planned for our future! We will look to maintain as many homes as we can and know that the impact will continue to nurture our community!  

In closing, I just had the opportunity to visit Nebraska and to speak with other Rebuilding Together affiliates that provide support in rural areas! I feel as if I’ve received a healthy dose of weed and feed!    As with all gardens, there are often too many choices but with careful planning our garden will grow! We look forward to showing you the results in the months to come!