Lauren shares a bit about the history of the nonprofit and some of their amazing initiatives. She felt called to make a difference as a high schooler when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred and she witnessed the way people come together in tragedy to take care of each other.
Since 1992, Rebuilding Together OKC has provided critical repairs to over 3,000 homes, 30 nonprofit facilities, and 8 public buildings in the Oklahoma City metro area with the help of 70,000 volunteers. Their mission is responding to a crisis in our country – that of aging housing stock and the growing number of people who, because of age, disability, or lack of resources, live in dilapidated or inaccessible housing. What began as one workday in April has become a year-round mission to provide free repairs and rehabilitate the homes of low-income seniors in our community.
One initiative is SheBuilds OKC which isn’t just about home repairs- it’s about getting women from all over OKC civically-engaged in their own communities. Women-led and women-focused, She Builds provides critical repairs for women-headed households and women-focused community spaces to empower women to maintain safe and healthy homes, make a difference in their communities and build a supportive community network.
COVID has impacted their ability to hold workshops in person but they adapted to recording videos to help educate and provide assistance to women homeowners and empower them to make repairs and maintain their houses.
"We're not just a construction company, we are here to revitalize." - Lauren
They also have a ramp team that builds accessible ramps for homeowners that is an amazing group of people who continue to build ramps (safely) even during the pandemic.
Lauren shares their success with fundraising during COVID-19 and their plans are for the next six months.
"I'm always asked, isn't it hard to raise money and it is hard to raise money, but when you are telling the truth and you're serving the mission, it shouldn't be hard to raise money, because there is a need and we fill that need." - Lauren
She shares about an exciting upcoming event called the TopGolf 4 Homes Fundraiser which brings together corporate executives, civic leaders, skilled trades’ professionals, and community advocates to help rebuild lives and neighborhoods by making homes safe, warm, and dry – one swing at a time!
