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CSI Chicago Brings New Life To Smith Family Home In West Englewood

By Callie Elmore posted 05-22-2019 06:57 PM

  
2019_Rebuilding_Together_Recap.pngCSI Chicago for the second year in a row sponsored a home through our partnership with Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago. Every year, Rebuilding Together partners with about 100 organizations to rehab dozens of homes in Chicago and in one suburb.

Our selected homeowner, Mrs. Smith, is a loving and endearing 93-year-old woman who lives in West Englewood with her recently disabled daughter, Gloria (63) who is confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke. They have lived in their home for the past 46 years. Mrs. Smith’s home was in need of major ADA improvements and repairs.

On National Rebuilding Day, April 27, 2019, 46 volunteers from CSI Chicago and Mrs. Smith’s family spent the day making major improvements to her home with the ultimate goal of improving the life of both Mrs. Smith and her daughter Gloria. On top of all our volunteers we were able to get help from a number of professional painters, plumbers, electricians and carpenters thanks to our home being selected to be filmed by a camera crew documenting the volunteering efforts of the Unions in Chicago.

With the help of all the volunteers we were able to successfully provide the following list of home improvements to Mrs. Smith’s home.
  • General Electrical:
    • Replaced 6 light fixtures throughout home to eliminate non-ADA pull chains
    • Added 3 light fixtures in basement
    • Installed outdoor motion activated light fixture at the back door
    • Replaced all light bulbs with LED lightbulbs
    • Replaced/Repaired 6 electrical outlets
    • Added GFCI outlets at bathrooms and kitchen
  • Painted 8 rooms
  • Installed carpet tile in 4 rooms
  • Kitchen Work:
    • Replaced the subfloor
    • Installed new flooring
    • Replaced cabinets and countertops
    • Replaced kitchen sink
    • Replaced gas range stove
  • First Floor Bathroom:
    • Replaced faucet
    • Installed handheld shower head on bar
    • Installed 3 grab bars
    • Provided new bath accessories
    • Provided new raised toilet seat
  • Second Floor Bathroom:
    • Replaced faucet
    • Installed handheld shower on bar
    • Installed 3 grab bars
    • Provided new bath accessories
    • Replaced flooring
    • Installed new vanity
    • Provided new raised toilet seat
  • Yard cleanup and new yard landscaping
  • Plumbing work at water lines to washer
  • Secured all stair steps
  • Installed 3 new handrails at all stairs
  • Provided new joist hangers under the first floor
  • Installed a new wheelchair lift at the front door, including power to the front of the home, a concrete walk and pad.

As you can see from the list of improvements, CSI Chicago has a lot to be proud of. None of this would have been possible without the leadership of Guadalupe “Lupe” Casimiro and her Rebuilding Together Committee. Hats off to Lupe and her committee for their dedication to the cause. Their passion for the cause was infectious.

Lupe summed up the 2019 Rebuilding Together perfectly when she said:
This was the second year CSI Chicago sponsored a home and our membership’s generosity was incredible. Months of planning culminated in this one day. The help we are able to provide to this family was amazing. We had snow, we had many volunteers and one very happy and grateful family!

2019 Rebuilding Together was made possible by those who donated their time, their money and materials. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated money and materials. Our Chapter had 46 volunteers, raised $10,278.75, and donated a number of materials. We made a difference and a lot of new friends along the way. We will see you at next year’s National Rebuilding Day on Saturday, April 25, 2020.

Take a closer look at our day by viewing 2019 Rebuilding Day Photos.

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Blog post written by: Brad Schwab, CSI, CDT
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