Community

   Kathleen knows she is blessed- blessed with a good mind, a caring family, blessed to be living in her own home.  But now that Kathleen is 88, her children are seniors themselves, she points out, and wheeling their mom’s wheelchair in and out was not easy. 

   So Kathleen called Rutherford Housing Partnership and asked about a small ramp for her front porch.  She was paired with local Rotary Club chapter volunteers, who provided the labor, and RHP provided materials.  Now wheeling her mom in and out of the house for doctors’ appointments is so much easier, her daughter says. 

The work means just as much to the volunteers.  “That’s what we do,” said James Segers, president of Rotary in Rutherford County.  “Our motto is ‘Service above self.’ I get immense satisfaction from this work.  I like to help people.”

Like Kathleen, homeowners helped by RHP are struggling to stay in their own homes while living on fixed incomes, or are simply surviving month to month with nothing extra for emergencies. 

The needs are overwhelming. According to the latest Census figures...

· 20.5% of Rutherford County residents live below the poverty level, more than 4% higher than the state average of 16.2%. That’s more than 13,000 people.

· 10% of the houses here have been identified as in “poor” or “not liveable” condition or have been valued at $5,000 or less.  

That’s 1 in 10 homes.

Can we count on you? Prayerfully consider how best you might help. With your help, we are changing lives - one house at a time.  

Donations can be mailed to: Rutherford Housing Partnership Inc. ~ P.O. Box 1525 ~ Rutherfordton, NC ~ 28139 OR visit our web page @ www.RutherfordHousingPartnership.com  to make a donation via our donate button.