Alexis Senge JohnsonYesterday Rebuilding Together, Rebuilding Together Orlando, Grip-Rite and CBRE brought Ms. Lipofsky home after four weeks of hard work to restore her home. It took two hurricanes to tear hear house apart, but the help of the team that gathered yesterday to restored her home and faith in others. The volunteers gathered early that morning and some even traveled from out of state to be a part of the project. After an introductory safety lesson they were on their way. Teams of volunteers were formed to tackle projects both inside and outside simultaneously. The team from McCoy Construction Projects were ready to get the teams going for the day as they led the volunteers on a project they have been working hard on since the beginning of October.
While some prepped areas for the work, the teams inside worked on painting the doors and baseboards before the appliances arrived.
- Painting the closet doors.
- Painting Ms. Lipofsky’s bedroom door.
- Baseboards being painting in Ms. Lipofsky’s room.
- Kitchen appliances being delivered.
- Kitchen appliances and cabinets installed.
- Kitchen appliances and cabinets installed.
On the back porch there were volunteers cleaning and painting.
- Cleaning the porch roof.
- Painting the new shutters for the front.
The teams outside tackled painting the front of the house, creating a new flower bed, and taking out the old fence so a new and more secure one could be installed.
- Removing the old fence.
- Removing the old fence.
- Gearing up to install the fence.
- Installing the new fence with Grip-Rite tools.
When Ms. Lipofsky arrived, just before the teams took a break for lunch, her smile made every drop of sweat seem that much more rewarding.
- Ms. Lipofsky arrives.
She had no idea that her story had made news and the Rebuilding Together Orlando team couldn’t wait to show her the front page of the Orlando Sentinal.
When Rebuilding Together Orlando asked Ms. Lipofsky what she wanted her request was so simple. “I asked for a kitchen, but they gave me a whole new home,” Ms. Lipofsky stated immediately after getting out of her car. She thanked everyone for all their hard work over the last four weeks and expressed her most sincere gratitude for all they had done. Since her mortgage was paid off long ago, Ms. Lipofsky will be proudly moving into her restored home with the peace of mind that it only requires monthly utilities payments. After several tears of joy Ms. Lipofsky doled out the hugs to many and proudly looked at every piece of the project. Her daughter and grandson were on hand to share the moment and thanked many of the volunteers for all they had done.
Grip-Rite announced that after this, their first project with Rebuilding Together, they would be donating tools and equipment for this rewarding organization to use on future projects just like this one. CBRE has teamed up with Rebuilding Together in the past and stated that they are always happy to do what they can for organizations such as this that allow people to return to a home they have created a lifetime of memories in already. It was exciting to see the representatives from both Grip-Rite and CBRE picking up power tools, paint brushes and shovels to all pitch in on the effort.
- Provided by Grip-Rite.
- Provided by Grip-Rite.
Both companies did more than just send a check or some supplies. Their employees joined the volunteers and became a part of the unified team that worked so diligently to bring Ms. Lipofsky home. Rebuilding Together is a powerful organization and Ms. Lipofsky’s overwhelming tears of joy are just a few reasons that supporting their cause is so very important. Find your local affiliate and get started making a difference in your own community.
Thank you, Alexis, for putting into words Ms. Lipofsky’s journey. We greatly appreciate you supporting our mission and helping us share this story.
It was my pleasure! I’m so happy to see her story have such a wonderfully happy ending. Rebuilding Together really is an amazing organization and it was exciting to see you all in action.
I am so grateful and so fortunate to have met these wonderful people: Rebuilding Together — Ed Green, Tim Parsons — and their sponsors Grip-Rite and CBRE. Alexis, great job; I finally think I’ve found out how to use Facebook! Thank you all. The house is beautiful and truly more than anything I could have ever imagined. Linda Lipofsky
Ms. Lipofsky, I am so thankful I got to be a part of this experience and see your home returned to its prior glory!
[…] year I had the immense honor of getting to watch Rebuilding Together’s Orlando affiliate give Ms. Lipofsky her home back after she had been removed from it for way too long. If you remember, her home was damaged […]