Saturday, the Boothbay region once again demonstrated why it is such a very special place. This time, it was Rebuilding Together that deserves the credit for making us all so very proud to live here.

Everywhere we went, there were crews hard at work. Scores of volunteers stepped forward on this special day set aside each year to help qualifying homeowners complete much-needed projects around their home that they either couldn’t afford on their own, or were unable to physically handle, especially the elderly and disabled.

Rebuilding Together was born in Texas in 1993 and the local chapter here in Lincoln County came into being over 15 years ago, thanks to Sarah Giles, Chip Griffin, Joyce Armendaris and Neil Ames. It gets bigger and better every year, with volunteers from every walk of life stepping forward to give of their time and energy to help their neighbors. They’ve done just about everything – shingle a roof, rebuild a porch, clean out an attic,  paint a house, repair faulty plumbing, clear brush and leaves from a lawn,  correct electrical problems – the list goes on and on. Among their first undertakings, an attempt to provide indoor plumbing for sisters Carolyn and Helen Smith in their Spruce Point trailer, ended up with getting them a new home, while at Lobster Cove, crews painted both the exterior and interior of Ev Trask’s home. In addition to their one-day accomplishments last week,  they’re currently working with other organizations to try to obtain a new home for the Matthews Road family burned out this past winter, leaving eight homeless.

Both skilled and unskilled area workers give of their time every spring to make Rebuilding Together function, while throughout the year businesses and individuals contribute lumber, paint, tools, you name it, to make all of these projects possible, not to mention the all-important gifts of money to purchase needed supplies.

So far in their fifteen-plus years, scores of Rebuilding Together volunteers and donors have made a big difference in the lives of many peninsula residents and these appreciative recipients are quick to praise this prime example of neighbor helping neighbor.

Our hats are off to the folks who organize and operate Rebuilding Together here in Lincoln County, and to all the men and women who give so generously of their time each year to make the program a success. It’s truly wonderful and all of us who live here can be very proud.