Vic Taylor has a simple reason for being a Rebuilding Together volunteer. “It makes you feel good inside,” he said. Taylor is one of several volunteers who hammer, saw, paint, or do whatever is needed to help homeowners with repairs. Taylor is Rebuilding Together-Lincoln County’s board president. The organization has 28 projects on this year’s agenda; four were scheduled for Sept. 25.

Volunteers painted the interior of the Boothbay American Legion Hall and replaced a set of hanging doors, removed brush and scraped an Ocean Point Road home in preparation for painting later this month. The local chapter planned on painting the house and staining a Dover Road home’s roof, but postponed those projects due to damp weather. The weekend’s final project was one of the local chapter’s own: Rebuilding a ramp for the supply hut at the Boothbay public works lot. 

Rebuilding Together began in 1973. A small group in Midland, Texas began repairing community homes which had fallen into disrepair. The group volunteered its time and skills to rehabilitate homes for those who couldn’t afford to fix them. The project was so successful, the Midland group planned on making it an annual event. So the next April, the volunteers embarked on more community repairs and rehabilitation work.

Rebuilding Together’s mission  is “keeping people safe and dry.” Word of their efforts spread slowly and eventually achieved national attention. A national office was established in 1988, and the non-profit group’s footprint now extends nationwide. Rebuilding Together’s website reports, nearly 100,000 volunteers complete 10,000 projects per year.

Rebuilding Together arrived in Boothbay in 2001. Joyce Armendaris was in Chip Griffin’s law office along with Sarah Giles, Sally Barter and Neil Ames. Armendaris told the group about her involvement with Rebuilding Together in Washington, D.C. In year one, Rebuilding Together-Lincoln County rebuilt a home and painted a house.

“We thought it would be a great idea to bring here,” Giles said. “But we were afraid people might be too proud to ask for help. So we looked around and found a few places that needed some work. That first year, a house was so bad we had to burn it, then completely rebuild it.”  

Like Giles, Barter is a member of the board of directors. This year, Rebuilding Together-Lincoln County received 28 applications. Barter is proud of what the local chapter has done for the community. “It makes you feel good. It’s a very community-minded place with a lot of people who want to help out,” she said.

Taylor joined the group about a year after it started. He was looking for a community project to join when he saw a Boothbay Register advertisement seeking volunteers. “I like construction and really wanted to give back to the community,” he said. “And this makes you feel good inside. It’s a real honor to be invited into somebody’s home and do something for them. It’s special.”

Taylor and many other volunteers have remained with the organization nearly two decades for an important reason. “It’s an important service we provide. It is hard enough for anyone to hire a plumber or contractor, but it’s nearly impossible for those who can’t afford them. If we didn’t do this, then most of it wouldn’t get done,” he said.