Nearly 300 Volunteers Beautify St. Helena

Blessed with mild weather and fueled by bagels and coffee, almost 300 volunteers went to work throughout the St. Helena community Saturday.

Rebuilding Together Baltimore, in conjunction with the St. Helena Community Association, took on an ambitious agenda that included renovation and repair of individual homes, trash and debris removal, neighborhood beautification, and storm drain stenciling.

This was the last of two planned Rebuilding Days in St. Helena; the first occurred in the spring of 2010.

Rebuilding Together Baltimore (RTB) is a long-standing nonprofit organization based in Baltimore City that offers home repair and improvement to qualified individuals—particularly the elderly and disabled—for free. The organization previously conducted a Rebuilding Day in Turner Station in 2007.

The St. Helena community was selected after it 120-member strong community association applied to RTB over a four-year period.

“We look for active neighborhood associations,” said Jim Diel, RTB Project Manager, when asked how communities are chosen. “They help us get the word out that we are coming in to help, and help the impact be more lasting.”

While volunteers mulched trees, cleared street gutters of debris and removed graffiti from public areas, perhaps the greatest impact was felt by the homeowners receiving painting, electrical and carpentry services from volunteer tradesman.

Nine homes in St. Helena were improved Saturday, the culmination of a six-month-long application, review and planning process. RTB’s goal is to make homes safer, warmer and drier. As many as 30 workers per house, some from the neighborhood itself, and many from all around Maryland, replaced broken front steps, installed new insulation, and put up new rain gutters and spouts.

“The most important thing is to get people the help they need,” said St. Helena Community Association president Shirley Gregory. Showing the persistence that helped her earn a Dundalk Renaissance Corporation Milestone Award this year, Gregory spent the last year knocking on doors to advise homeowners of the program and what they would need to do to receive the services.

One such owner who answered Gregory’s knock was Carl Schlaile, 91, of Dundalk Avenue.

“I think it’s wonderful!” exclaimed Schlaile, who has lived in his house, built in 1922, for 89 years. “My front door didn’t work and now it does. They fixed my rainspout that blew off too,” he said, amid a house of bustling workers.

When informed that an electrician installed a new light switch and overhead light in his bathroom, Schlaile said, “Oh, that’s good. I’ll be able to see in there now.”

Perhaps one volunteer at Schlaile’s house summed up the day best.

“I have some skills,” said David Griffith of Sykesville between strokes of his paintbrush, “so I like to put them to use to help people.”

That attitude, along with the months of planning by Rebuilding Together Baltimore and the St. Helena Community Association made nine households—and the neighborhood—in St. Helena a better place to live Saturday.