A therapy room for Michael
Rebuilding Together Liberty, Lowe’s partner to fulfill local family’s dream
By Natalie Shelton
Thursday, May 15, 2008 1:23 AM CDT
Michael Siefkas, 12, now has a haven in his home. Michael, who has cerebral palsy, just got a new therapy room in his Liberty basement, one that will become a hub for those who complement his mother’s and his aide’s care: a vision therapist, speech therapist, behavior modification therapist, physical therapist and occupational therapist.
And it’s a room that his mother, Sandra McGowen, said will help her family more than its contributors — Rebuilding Together Liberty, Lowe’s and Concorde & Longhorn Construction — may be able to imagine.
“When I think about it, I just say, ‘Thank God,’” McGowen said. “It’s a tremendous load off to have a place for Michael’s therapy rather than having it right in the middle of the living room with our lives having to go on right around him. In the therapy room, he can be more focused and not have so many distractions.”
The room is a reality for Michael because of the efforts of Rebuilding Together Liberty, a local affiliate of a national volunteer-based organization that brings a community together to help homeowners in need.
The national Rebuilding Together recently received a $1 million grant from Lowe’s, and Rebuilding Together Liberty applied to its parent organization for part of that grant money and received $10,000, said Clay McQuerry, Rebuilding Together Liberty’s executive director.
McGowen had submitted an application to Rebuilding Together Liberty for help after she envisioned having a therapy room for Michael and was placed on a waiting list until the local organization learned it had received the Lowe’s grant. Her dream room will be able to house a mat, stander, a standing chair, games, books and toys.
“We couldn’t have done it without the funding,” McQuerry said. “Normally the projects we do cost between $1,000 and $3,000.”
McQuerry said he’s also grateful to Concorde & Longhorn; Tommy Hammond of Concorde & Longhorn serves on Rebuilding Together Liberty’s board of directors.
A few years ago, Rebuilding Together Liberty constructed a sidewalk for the family; it leads from the front door around to the back basement door.
Michael has a younger brother, Cody, 4, who already knows how to look out for his older brother and can even tell a therapist when a seemingly innocent scenario might be dangerous for Michael. Cody’s often seen either sitting in his big brother’s lap or underneath the tray of Michael’s wheelchair, sitting cozy on his footrest.
McGowen said she’s sometimes approached by people who say it must be hard to take care of a special needs child.
“It’s not hard,” she said. “Unless he’s hurting, Michael’s always smiling, giggling. It’s hard to be in a bad mood around him.”
McGowen said she’s thankful to Michael for “saving” her.
“I used to be pretty wild; I wasn’t going down a good path at all,” she said. “If I’d had what people would call a ‘normal child,’ I would have gone down that same road. … This is the way it’s supposed to be.
“We have sad moments in our house, scared moments. But as soon as he smiles, that’s gone. Not a day goes by that I don’t laugh, smile or be happy because of him.”
Link to this article: http://kccommunitynews.com/articles/2008/05/15/liberty_tribune/news/doc482b0f71155ab703326367.txt
Rebuilding Together Liberty expands program
Home modification program seeks veterans, military families in need
By Natalie Shelton
Thursday, March 13, 2008 1:14 AM CDT
Rebuilding Together Liberty, a nonprofit that provides home modifications for elderly, disabled and low-income residents to preserve affordable home ownership, finally has a home of its own.
Rebuilding Together Liberty recently moved into Freedom House along with Love INC, In As Much Ministry and Hillcrest Transitional Housing. With the move, said executive director Clay McQuerry, have come new partnerships and grants that will allow Rebuilding to expand its services.
“It’s such a great blessing to be there and be a part of that building,” McQuerry said.
Rebuilding Together Liberty receives referrals throughout the year from Northland Neighborhoods, Clay County Senior Services, Love INC and In As Much Ministry, as well as applications from individuals in need of assistance.
It is part of the national Rebuilding Together, which as of late “has really gotten proactive,” McQuerry said. “We’re benefiting because of the national partnerships they’ve created.”
Because of new or expanded partnerships, Rebuilding Together Liberty has been able to expand its one-day fall building blitz into a program called Rebuilding Now. The new program provides some year-round urgent repairs for low-income individuals and families, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Clay County Senior Services recently partnered with Rebuilding Together Liberty by providing $25,000 toward a minor home repair program to improve safety in the home for residents 60 and older.
Rebuilding Together Liberty received two $10,000 grants, one from Lowe’s and one from API Energy.
Rebuilding Together Liberty also seeks veterans and families of military personnel who are in need of home repairs or modifications. The local organization can request grants through two national programs, Heroes at Home and Serving Those Who Serve, to help them.
“There are no guarantees,” McQuerry said of the assistance for veterans and military personnel, “but if we can get applications from people who qualify, there are funds we can pursue, which is very exciting.”
Last fall, Rebuilding Together Liberty helped homeowner Dale Sullivan with quite a few home repairs on Rebuilding Day, when 300 volunteers spread to 15 area homes in need of modifications.
At Sullivan’s house, volunteers tore out steps leading to her house and built new ones. The volunteers poured a new concrete walkway from the steps of her deck to the sidewalk.
They tore out an old, dilapidated retaining wall and constructed a new one. They reconfigured her sump pump so it would empty on the other side of the retaining wall. They built new fencing around her deck and built rails leading up to it. She received a new storm door and sensor lights. They filled in holes in the concrete leading to her basement.
When they finished, the volunteers planted grass seed where their trucks had been parked. And equally unbelievable, she said, they did all the work in just one day.
“They were so clean and organized and quiet,” she said. “It certainly was a blessing for me. Before, I had such a hard time getting down my steps. Now, with the rail down to my sidewalk, I don’t have to worry about falling again.
“Clay McQuerry and that whole group are just wonderful Christian people. They went the extra mile for me,” she said.
The organization is in need of office volunteers. For more information on home improvements or volunteering, call 781-8985 or visit www.rebuildingtogether HYPERLINK "http://liberty.org" liberty.org.
Link to this article: http://kccommunitynews.com/articles/2008/03/13/liberty_tribune/news/doc47d82807c81d4873780153.txt
Rebuilding Day to be celebrated this Saturday
Rebuilding Together Liberty volunteers to put in sweat equity for 15 families
By: Natalie Shelton
Thursday, October 4, 2007 11:17 AM CDT
Thanks to Rebuilding Together Liberty, Kathleen Shrader said she was getting her life back. Shrader lives in a small mobile home in Liberty. Her floor is weak, and the steps of her deck render it virtually impossible for her to venture out in her new electric wheelchair.
But after about 300 volunteers spread through Liberty during the volunteer organization’s sixth annual Rebuilding Day on Saturday, Oct. 6, Shrader’s days will be a little brighter. Volunteers from the FaithWorks group at Liberty United Methodist Church will build her a wheelchair ramp.
“It’ll really be nice to be able to get out of the house; I might even be able to take my dogs for a walk now,” said Shrader, who became dependent on her wheelchair five years ago after medication to treat double pneumonia caused avascular necrosis, which causes a loss of blood supply to her bones.
“This has given me a reason to want to go back out,” she said.
Volunteers from churches, civic organizations, William Jewell College and local businesses comprise those who are donating sweat equity to help 15 families in Liberty with much-needed home repairs, said Clay McQuerry, Rebuilding Together Liberty’s executive director.
“Their work will range from a handicap ramp, weather-proofing, door and window repair, bath and plumbing projects and a new roof, which is something we’ve never done before,” he said.
Rebuilding Together Liberty receives referrals throughout the year from Northland Neighborhoods, Clay County Senior Services, Love INC and In As Much Ministry, as well as applications from individuals in need of assistance.
Normally the organization’s hands-on efforts are limited to one blitz day a year, which it models after the national Rebuilding Together. The Liberty affiliate, though, plans to expand to a year-round program in 2008 if the funding can be secured.
“We’re going to call it Rebuilding Now,” McQuerry said. “There are people out there who sometimes need urgent repairs and modifications, and we want to be able to provide that.”
New office space in Freedom House will help make that a reality, he said. Rebuilding Together Liberty is one of four organizations that will move into the new facility, which may be open by the end of the year. The others are Hillcrest Transitional Housing, Love INC and In As Much Ministry.
“We’re so excited about that,” McQuerry said. “We’ve never had a physical address, and we’re just tickled to death to have office space, to be able to network even better with the organizations housed there. It will help us in our service to the community.”
Link to this article: http://kccommunitynews.com/articles/2007/10/04/liberty_tribune/news/e.lt.news.rebuilding.day.txt
