Among the FDO members who took part in Rebuilding Together are Joe Herman, Julie Boynton, Matt Motolko, Jamie LaCourt, Evan LaCourt, Casey Sandoval, Dominick Sandoval, Lisa Harkins, Brian Anders, Dustin Anders, Denise Anders, Terron Phillips, Katie Barilich and Joe Rabbitt. (Photos provided.)
With blue skies and temperatures in the low 80s, Saturday was picture perfect for Rebuilding Together, a community event managed by the South Bend Heritage Foundation. The annual program is a volunteer effort where community members provide home repair assistance to homeowners.
In all, more than 300 people washed windows, painted homes inside and out and did yard work. Volunteers included members of Notre Dame’s Facilities Design and Operations (FDO) division. The FDO team was made up of people from Planning, Design and Construction, Utilities, Maintenance and Landscape Services.
The FDO team members had two houses assigned to them. Tyron McGhee and Tony Polotto — whose day jobs are maintenance supervisor and director of construction quality assurance, respectively — served as house captains and donated many additional hours of their own time in advance. FDO also donated flowers, flooring and other building materials to the effort. James J. Kelly Jr., director of the Community Development Clinic and clinical professor of law, also served as a house captain. Some of his students pitched in at that house.
The homeowners included veterans, elderly people and people with disabilities who may not be able to perform these tasks on their own. In all, volunteers helped at 15 homes on the far west side of South Bend.
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on April 26, 2022.