​Our board of directors, committee members, and hundreds of local volunteers spend the entire day putting the finishing touches on the improvements of more than twenty homes across the city of El Paso. Meanwhile, volunteers across the country work with our affiliates for the same purpose. It’s a magical thing to see the very tangible impact that we have in our own city and to know that we are part of a nation-wide project. Understandably, that one day is the culmination of months of work and organization, but it isn’t the only thing we do. In fact, our team works year-round. Here are just a few of the things we focus our efforts on:

The homes we complete on Event Day are just a portion of the homes we renovate. Our work doesn’t stop there. The same kinds of improvements that take place in Event Day homes are being done year-round. We refer to the homes that are being renovated in the “off season” as Project Homes. It makes sense that we would work on homes all year since the need is there all year. We are continually taking care of the paperwork, reviewing homes, sending out contractors, and seeing homes through to completion. This year, we have set a goal to complete a total of 50 homes by the end of the calendar year. We are already over 2/3rds of the way there.

If you think you or someone you know is a candidate for our services, you can access the necessary forms by clicking “applications” in the top navigation bar.

​In recent years, we’ve made efforts to become even more involved in the community. We’re able to do so by partnering up with other El Paso institutions. Earlier this year, for instance, we joined forces with the University of Texas at El Paso and their volunteer initiative Project MOVE. You can read more about it here, but in short, one hundred UTEP students volunteered for six hours and completed work on five homes! A great success!

As a nonprofit, we rely on grants and donations. We couldn’t have the impact on El Paso that we do without the generous support of others! We’ve had great success with our fundraisers in previous years, and we hope to announce our latest fundraiser soon.
If you are interested in making a direct donation, you can do so by visiting our donation page.

We begin to shift our focus to the upcoming Event Day as early as the first of the year. Each year we are looking to improve and better our efforts. Tentatively, we want to complete 33 homes on Event Day 2015. A project that big won’t happen without lots of advance planning!

It may seem like our work is never done, but our team is committed to the mission of preserving and revitalizing houses and communities, assuring that low income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly and disabled, live in warmth, safety, and independence.

​This most recent Event Day was one of the easiest yet for Cindy and her team. Only one interior room and the outside trim needed painting. When the team arrived ready and raring to go on the morning of Event Day, it was discovered that the homeowner had left town and wasn’t home! Fortunately, his daughter allowed the team in. The homeowner’s son-in-law even got involved, climbing up a ladder and painting alongside the team all day.

When asked how Cindy manages to successfully assemble a team each year, she chalked it up to the motivation of her team members:

I have a group of “old faithfuls” that have helped me out for years! I try and recruit new caseworkers and family members. I get great feedback from our team, and they love doing this. It’s harder than it looks, but we have a great time!

She points out that everyone has something to add to the team. A team member that can’t participate in the painting and yard work due to a physical disability contributes by making thirty (and sometimes more!) burritos and bringing extra waters.

Cindy adds, “It’s a great feeling to see the before and after pictures and know that we had a part in it. It’s an opportunity for us to give back to the community and work with one another in a way we don’t always get to at our agency. We love the homeowners’ expression and heartfelt thanks at the end of the day, makes it all worth it!”

Thank you to Cindy and the entire APS team for their years of volunteer service! If you are interested in putting together a team for Event Day, you can contact us by leaving a comment here, messaging us on Facebook, or e-mailing us

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say: YOU did it! With 500 volunteers spread out across the El Paso and work on 23 homes being  completed in one day, Event Day is far from a one man show. It would not have been a success without the hard work of our volunteers, the generosity of our sponsors, the kindness of donors, and every single ounce of sweat that went into making April 26, 2014 our best Event Day yet.

 

Every Event Day is great in our book, but this one was extra special as it included the presentation of a giant check in a giant amount from Wells Fargo. That $10,000 will go a long way toward providing much-needed repairs to homes in El Paso. Thank you, Wells Fargo!

​It’s a thrill to see the city-wide impact one day can have. The 23 homes that were completed on Saturday all have a fresh coat of paint and clean yards to match the work that has been done on the inside. In some cases, the interior work was simple, patches fixed and tiles replaced. But in other cases, it was extensive. Roofs have been fixed, swamp coolers replaced, tubs converted to showers for ease of use.

​On a national scale, our individual efforts are adding up to something huge. Over 3,000 projects total (!) have been completed by affiliates across the country during April as part of Rebuilding Together’s National Rebuilding Month! Yep, that includes the 23 homes completed in our fair city. We hope that all our contributors feel an extra sense of pride knowing that they are part of a nation-wide improvement project. RTNRM isn’t just one day or one volunteer opportunity; it’s a movement! It’s a step toward accomplishing our goal of providing safe living conditions for the elderly, disabled, and veterans in our country and our community.

When it comes down to it, the best part of Event Day is not the good feeling we get out of volunteering or the pride we feel from being part of a big change, but the joy that it brings to the individual homeowners. One man, overwhelmed at the sight of dozens of people working on the inside and outside of his house, sat back and remarked, “I’m in heaven.”


One woman expressed the impact that Event Day had on her parents, owners of a home that was repaired, by saying, “We are beyond lucky. This is actually not an end to the process, but I think (I hope) this day will be a new beginning for my mom and dad.”


Event Day 2014 is over, but our mission continues. We’ll be working on (and sharing with you!) project homes throughout the year, we also have a fundraiser in the works, and we’ll be sharing more stories from Event Day 2014. In the meantime, if you want to volunteer with us, donate to our cause, or sponsor us, you’ll find everything you need to know at our website and on our Facebook page.