Volunteers of America Organizes Army of 350 to Rebuild Parts of St. Bernard Parish
Volunteers of America, a national leader in supporting communities by providing affordable housing and other social services, dispatched an army of more than 350 volunteers to help rebuild parts of St. Bernard Parish that remain devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The day of service coincided with Volunteers of America’s National Conference June 7-10 in New Orleans and is part of the organization’s long-term commitment to rebuild the Gulf Coast region.
In addition to providing workers, Volunteers of America donated $30,000 in materials, including a new air conditioning unit, to help rebuild the church.
“Our mission for more than a century has been to serve people and communities in vulnerable situations,” said Charles Gould, national president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America. “Most of the volunteers participating in this day of service are Volunteers of America’s own employees and their families. In our line of work, it is important for us to go out into the community, get our hands dirty and connect personally with those in need. We hope this effort will help us establish stronger bonds with the people we serve every day.” More >
Volunteers of America Applauds President for Authorizing the Second Chance Act - Organization Collaborted with Members of Congress to Advocate Passage of Bill to Help Ex-Offenders
Volunteers of America applauds President Bush for signing into law The Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention. The bipartisan bill was passed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate in early March and by the U.S. House of Representatives last summer.
The Second Chance Act represents a significant improvement on existing federally funded programs for the safe reentry of nearly 700,000 offenders who are released from state and federal prisons each year and return to local communities. The legislation authorizes $362 million to states, local governments and nonprofit organizations that operate programs that help former prisoners find job training, literacy training, substance abuse treatment, counseling and housing. More >
Historic Building Revitalized: The Blakeley Building Opens in Lawrence, MA
The six-story Blakeley Building was built in 1890 and used as office space for almost 100 years. It was vacant for 10 years but many of its historic façade features remained intact. An adjoining building was built in 1879 but had been modified repeatedly and lost its historic value. This building was demolished as part of the renovation and a new six-story building was constructed in its place. The new building contains four ground floor retail bays, a management office, laundry & a six-story central atrium with a skylight.
A marriage of old and new, the project pairs the redevelopment of a 118-year-old commercial building with new construction to provide 46 apartments and 4,200 square feet of ground floor retail space. Residential units include 36 two-bedroom and 10 one-bedroom apartments. The $14 million project took 18 months to complete with the first residents moving in February 2008. It is the first residential housing community completed by Volunteers of America in Massachusetts. More >
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