Wendel Rosen Marks 100-Year Milestone by Giving Back
Annual Supporter of Rebuilding Together Oakland, Law Firm Pledges 100 Volunteers to Renovate Local Service Center for Developmentally Disabled
Apr. 24, 2009 – For the fifth year in a row, Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP is participating in Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO), a local community rehabilitation program for low-income seniors and disabled persons, which is an affiliate of the national Rebuilding Together organization. This year, in honor of the firm’s 100th anniversary and its desire to increase service during these trying times, Wendel Rosen is pursuing a larger community center project – the Clausen House in Oakland. In years past, the firm has taken on single-family home projects for needy Oakland residents.
The Clausen House (www.clausenhouse.org), a facility built in 1910 and designed by Arthur Brown Jr., designer of San Francisco City Hall, Coit Tower and other famous Bay Area historic landmarks, provides programs and services to developmentally disabled adults. Wendel Rosen is pledging 100 volunteers and donors to complete a site improvement overhaul, including significant landscaping improvements, walkway and patio construction, and recreational additions, for Clausen House residents. Specific initiatives encompass clearing overgrowth and planting vegetable and flower gardens; building a retaining wall; fence improvements; bench construction; and concrete paving. The firm recruited its clients and friends, such as landscape architect Richard Larson, McGuire & Hester and Masonry Services Inc., to help with the project.
“We set out to celebrate our 100th year in a meaningful way, and with this fast becoming one of the most trying periods in modern history for our communities, Wendel Rosen is even more committed to increasing our service level throughout our city,” said Dan Rapaport. “We chose the Clausen House because of its historical significance in Oakland and its decades of unprecedented service to the developmentally disabled. We wanted to pursue a project that will have lasting value – creating an updated and welcoming environment for residents and visitors.”
Volunteers are working on the Clausen House throughout the month of April. The project’s primary volunteer day – also known as National Rebuilding Day throughout the country – is Saturday, Apr. 25. The entire Clausen House renovation project is expected to be complete by early May. In addition to this project, RTO’s local efforts will involve repairing and rehabilitating 25 homes and seven other community facilities.
“What makes National Rebuilding Day and RTO’s efforts so special is that our volunteers’ work helps our most vulnerable citizens – the elderly and disabled – remain in their homes and maintain their safety, comfort and independence,” asserts Kym Luqman, executive director of RTO. “Moreover, by renovating community facilities, volunteers can leverage their work even more by allowing the facilities to focus scarce dollars on valuable programs for the community instead of maintenance.”
More information on Wendel Rosen’s RTO project for the Clausen House can be found at: http://www.wendel.com/rto
About Rebuilding Together Oakland
Rebuilding Together is the largest volunteer rehabilitation organization in America, providing free services to low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, disabled and families with children. The organization has more than 225 affiliates across the country. Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO) was established in 1993. Since then, RTO has repaired more than 400 homes, installed accessibility and mobility aids in 250 homes and renovated 80 community facilities throughout the city, utilizing more than 23,000 volunteers and creating approximately $12,000,000 in project value. For more information about Rebuilding Together Oakland, please go to www.rtoakland.org.
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