History
In 1973, caring people in Midland, Texas saw that many of their low- and fixed-income neighbors were living in homes with no hot water, electricity or indoor plumbing and holes in their walls large enough to walk through. When they discovered that there weren’t any programs to help these homeowners, they took action.
Taking their cue from the old idea of barn-raising, they recruited volunteers to rehabilitate deteriorating homes in their community. The program got its name when one of the early recipients likened the help to having "Christmas in April."
By 1988, there were 13 loosely affiliated Christmas in April operations across the United States, including one in Washington, DC. Patty Johnson, then Executive Director of the Washington, DC program, recalls an increasing deluge of calls from people across the nation interested in bringing the program to their own communities. The need for this program existed in every city in America, so a national office was officially launched. Christmas in April * USA provided a focus for replicating the soon-to-be trademarked program and assisted in the planning, development and execution of affiliate services.
The Junior League of Seattle brought the program to Seattle in 1990. In November 1993, Christmas in April Seattle incorporated as an independent, non-profit organization and since that time has involved over 19,750 volunteers putting in 158,500 hours of volunteer time in order to rehabilitate 606 homes and community centers. Together, we truly are rebuilding America and Seattle, one house at a time.
On January 19, 2001, we joined our national association and hundreds of affiliates across the nation in changing our name to Rebuilding Together Seattle. Our new name reflects our commitment to serve the low-income homeowners of Seattle and positions us for future opportunities to broaden the scope of our home repair services, expand the Youth Program and launch new affiliates throughout the state.
The change to Rebuilding Together Seattle better reflects the services we provide for low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, individuals with disabilities and families with children, so that they may continue to live in warmth, safety and independence.
Rebuilding Together Seattle
811 Harrison St. Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: 206-682-1231 | Fax: 206-682-8962
Email: Rebuilding Together Seattle