Rescue Rebuild is a volunteer and community driven non-profit program of GreaterGood.org and The Animal Rescue Site. The program identifies animal shelters and rescues with a physical location in need of building repairs, improved kennels, additional exercise yards, cat enrichment areas, or other projects. After a vetting and application process, the Rescue Rebuild team selects organizations in most need and travels to their location to repair, improve, and beautify the shelter and grounds in a way that improves the lives of the adoptable pets and shelter staff and volunteers who work with the animals every day. The projects vary from location to location and are tailored for each build to fit the shelter s needs. All work is completed by Rescue Rebuild and community volunteers, often including local college students who give up summer, winter or spring break to participate in the project.
BACKGROUND Rescue Rebuild (formerly Rescue U) began in 2007 as an outreach program run by the Pennsylvania-based animal advocacy group Animal Lifeline. After seeing a need for building repairs in shelters they worked with in Appalachia, Animal Lifeline began taking groups of volunteers on weekend trips to lend a hand. Over the course of the next couple of years, they combined efforts with a local college and integrated the student-volunteer element. In 2010, Petfinder Foundation and The Animal Rescue Site took an interest in the program and saw an opportunity to build on the work of Animal Lifeline to grow the size of the builds. At this point, Rescue Rebuild truly became a national program. The program went from eking out what they could for each shelter to large-scale renovations with budgets of up to $70,000. The team on each build grew from small groups of student-volunteers to a true community effort, with groups of as many as 50 people a day coming to lend a hand. In 2014, Rescue Rebuild s director won the Shelter Hero of the Year award on the Fox: Cause for Paws show for completing 48 shelter renovations in 6 months (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pypk1xdp5fg). Rescue Rebuild is now a program of GreaterGood.org and The Animal Rescue Site. Using the massive online reach of The Animal Rescue Site and the fundraising power of GreaterGood.org, we have continued to grow the program and add new partner organizations.
REBUILD EXAMPLE: GUTHRIE, OK Shelter Destroyed by EF4 Tornado Over winter break in 2011-2012, Rescue Rebuild went to Guthrie, OK to renovate the City of Guthrie Animal Shelter. The shelter was hit by an EF4 tornado in May of 2011, and the funding they received from FEMA was not enough to finish construction. From December 28 January 10, student volunteers from colleges in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma worked side by side with local volunteers to rebuild the shelter and kennels. The impact on the community was evident, as local law enforcement, city management, news crews, and local volunteers came pouring in. Over 100 volunteers came out over the course of the project, including local contractors, police, and students from Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, and Delaware Valley College. New Shelter Building Guthrie Projects included: Reroofing the existing part of shelter New roofs for kennel shading Repairing all kennels New exercise yards New outdoor cat enclosures New meet and greet area with shade Perimeter fencing Fresh interior and exterior paint Steel storage shed installation Land grading/new drainage New Roofs Over Kennels & Exercise Yards Outdoor Cat Enclosures
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES GreaterGood.org and The Animal Rescue Site will work with corporate and nonprofit Partners to create shelter rebuild opportunities based on Partners desired geographic location and budget. We will also work on volunteer recruitment, marketing, and press in conjunction with Partners intended outcomes. Partner will have top branding on any trip that they sponsor and rights to all marketing materials, follow up stories, images, videos, and follow up reporting for the sponsored trip. We can also help facilitate any other in-kind or product donations Partner wishes to give to the project shelters. GreaterGood.org will do follow up reporting on donations as well. Red Rover, the nonprofit disaster response organization helping out in Grafton WV & Kiln MS.
POTENTIAL PROJECTS (not limited to the following) Outdoor Exercise Pens (typically 25 x 25 or larger) Meet & Greet Areas (interior or exterior) Installation of New Kennels Concrete Related Projects Outdoor Cat Enclosures Repair Chain Link Shed Installation Pole Barn Installation (for storage or kennel placement) Painting (interior or exterior) Raised Dog Beds Shade Screen for Outdoor Pens (cloth, metal or wood) Benches Coyote Rollers (prevents dogs from fence jumping) Shelving Dog & Cat Enrichment Items Creation of Photo Shoot Areas Landscaping