Event Highlights

Electrical Union Hosts Day of Community Service for Underserved Communities

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, REACH’s Community Builders Program partnered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Minority Caucus to provide free electrical repairs for underserved seniors living on the NE MLK Blvd corridor in Portland. In town for a conference hosted by Local 48, minority members of the brotherhood from across the country kicked off their annual conference with a day of community service. Over a dozen electricians from Oakland, San Francisco, Portland OR, and Washington DC descended on 5 homes. Joined by REACH staff and a handful of volunteer carpenters, REACH completed nearly 60 repairs all in one day! Event coordinator Hilary Colbert said, “Our members want to share their skills with families who have been underserved in our communities. The caucus works to promote equity within our union as well as the community. We are happy to partner with REACH to connect us to families in need.” Electricians installed fixtures donated by Rejuvenation, and corrected other fire hazards like bad outlets and wiring. These repairs improved lighting conditions and reduced energy costs. REACH volunteers also installed bath safety aids and hand railings to help seniors age in place and keep Portland affordable for our senior citizens.

View photos from the event.

2009 Paint & Repair-a-thon

The 20th anniversary of REACH’s Paint & Repair-a-thon made a huge impact in Lents!  Thanks to the support of local business like yours, twenty-two homeowners who are seniors or are living with disabilities now have homes that are safer, more livable, and more energy efficient.  Over 280 volunteers pitched in to get the job done.  Collectively, supporters of the event donated $9,600 of materials, $32,290 of in-kind labor, and $37,194 in cash.

Here’s what we accomplished:

  • 11 Painting projects
  • 60 Yard Clean-up/home repairs
  • 20 Carpentry Repairs
  • 35 plumbing/electrical repairs
  • 116 Total Projects!

REACH extends a special thanks to Grainger International for their generous gift in support of the Paint and Repair-a-thon and our programs.

“We chose to partner with REACH because of their demonstrated commitment to ensuring local families have stable homes in these challenging times.”
~ Jeremy Deeney, Grainger Branch Manager

View photos of this year’s event.

Please check back in spring 2010 for information about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for your company at the next Paint and Repair-a-thon.