Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s to Restore Minneapolis Neighborhood During Super Bowl-Sanctioned Event
MINNEAPOLIS, January 24, 2018 - Rebuilding Together will partner with its affiliate, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, to host the 23rd annual community revitalization project, Kickoff to Rebuild, leading up to Super Bowl LII weekend. This Super Bowl-sanctioned event will take place on Friday, February 2 from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Tilsenbilt neighborhood of Minneapolis; the first neighborhood in Minneapolis to end housing discrimination in the 1950s. Volunteers will gather at St. Peter’s AME Church located at 401 E 41st Street and will be directed to the homes and community spaces they will be revitalizing within the neighborhood.
Volunteers will work alongside NFL players to complete a variety of accessibility and livability services to a community room at St. Peter’s AME Church and four homes, all located in the Tilsenbilt Neighborhood. Volunteer projects throughout the day will include painting, cleaning, and installing safety features around homes including grab bars, handles, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, enabling neighbors in need to remain in their homes. Volunteers will also be building Little Libraries that will be installed around the neighborhood in the Spring.
"The Tilsenbilt neighborhood has a rich history but has been underserved in recent years," said Kathy Greiner, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities. " We look forward to working with our partners to serve this neighborhood and ensure a brighter future for families who call Tilsenbilt home."
This project is a continuation of the October Kickoff To Rebuild event that involved 150 volunteers and focused on rehabilitating a community garden and the exterior of six homes in the Tilsenbilt Neighborhood in the seasonably warmer month of October.
This marks the 23rd year Rebuilding Together has hosted this NFL-sanctioned event, rebuilding homes and transforming communities in Super Bowl cities across the country. To date, the event has impacted nearly 140 homes, engaged 5,000 volunteers and invested more than $5 million to communities in need. This event will create a safer, healthier and more vibrant community in the Tilsenbilt Neighborhood of Minneapolis. Rebuilding Together Twin Cities will be continuing to work in the Tilsenbilt Neighborhood throughout 2018.
These projects are made possible with funding from Kickoff to Rebuild’s lead supporter Lowe’s and additional sponsors including CBRE, Bryant Neighborhood Association, Crystal Kitchen and Bath, MidCountry Bank, Minnesota Housing, Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, Pioneer Services, Spoke 612, and Wells Fargo.
“By partnering with Rebuilding Together and Kickoff to Rebuild, we have an opportunity to bring new life to the Tilsenbilt community,” said James Frison, community relations director at Lowe’s. “Our Lowe’s Heroes volunteers are ready to roll up their sleeves and do what it takes help restore this important neighborhood.”
Kickoff to Rebuild will also launch Lowe’s and Rebuilding Together’s nationwide partnership activities for 2018, leading to neighborhood revitalization projects in other cities throughout the country. With the support of Lowe’s Heroes, Rebuilding Together has completed over 1,500 projects, impacting 16,000 individuals to date.