Portage mayor James Snyder helped kick off National Rebuild Day at this year’s Sears Heroes at Home house on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Snyder and volunteers of Rebuilding Together Portage worked to replace windows and doors, repair electric work and clean the yard of thankful homeowner and Vietnam veteran Marvin Marty.
“About 250 volunteers are working on 10 homes throughout Portage, today,” said Rebuilding Together Portage ambassador Denise Slease, “but this home needed the most work. We were able to get 45 volunteers here this morning to get much needed repairs done.”
Students from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, local Boy Scouts and community members put in a full day side-by-side with Snyder and police chief Troy Williams on home repairs and yard work.
Marty was thankful for the volunteers’ time and hard work. “I just want to say thank you to you and all of the others for helping me take care of my home and for all of the work you’ve done,” he said to Snyder and Williams. Williams replied that he and all of the volunteers were thankful for Marty’s service to his country and that the work being done was only a small way to show that appreciation.
Rebuilding Together is a national campaign bringing community members together to help families make their dream projects come true. Volunteers provide assistance to people who are not able to complete home repair on their own. Sears Heroes at Home is a special partnership to assist military families facing hardship.
Every year, volunteers from the community come together to help more individuals and families rebuild with less. For every $1 that Rebuilding Together spends on materials, roughly $4 of donated labor and materials is also used. 
A team of skilled and unskilled laborers, as well as grants and funds from local businesses, individuals and community groups, make rebuilding possible.
Rebuilding Together Portage has continued to be successful in building safer homes by building stronger communities through neighbor-helping-neighbor values. For more information, or to get involved, visit www.rtportage.org or call Tom Crnarich at 219-762-2530.