.

As autumn arrives, we celebrate the success of ReBuild's September fundraising efforts.  With the support of our customers (who seemed to "double up" their visits to the warehouse in September), the generous financial contributions from many of you, our steadfast volunteers, and the cost-cutting efforts of our staff, we have been able to overcome September's projected revenue shortfall.  With your support, we took a major step towards our goal of reaching our goal for achieving an operational breakeven point by mid-2011 -- fully one-year ahead of the normal 3-year breakeven for most start-up business operations.

The sooner ReBuild reaches breakeven, the sooner we begin to generate the surplus income we need to significantly expand our "green job" training programs for "hard-to-place" unemployed and underemployed workers.  We are already laying the groundwork for these operations by developing strong relationships with energy audit and home weatherization, solar electric and hot water installation, geothermal, and green roof companies.  Each of these partners has already or will soon be making presentations at one of ReBuild's Saturday workshops.  Check our newsletter and website calendar for October's schedule.

As we have noted in previous newsletters, in getting the word out in the community about ReBuild, our greatest assets are our customers.  Your patronage in September was critical to increasing our sales revenue.  Your satisfaction with the products and service you receive while shopping at ReBuild is critical to our accomplishing our three-fold mission of (a) recirculating perfectly good used building material at affordable prices to help homeowners and landlords maintain their property, (b) training unskilled workers in environmental preservation and restorative jobs, and (c) showing people how they can affordably live green.

When all is said and done, the fact is that when it comes to living more sustainably on the planet, "we are all in this together".  By assisting some folks take their first steps up the "green collar" career ladder, ReBuild introduces some financial stability into their families' lives, reduces social services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, crime-fighting, prison costs, and frees up these funds for affordable housing, education, parks and recreation programs, neighborhood revitalization, and environmental clean-up activities that we could not otherwise afford.  This leads to a higher quality of life for everyone in the community.

So, while it may seem like a little thing, mention ReBuild and its mission in your daily conversations with family, friends, and fellow employees, invite a friend to join you the next time you shop at the warehouse, suggest ReBuild representative make a presentation at one of your forthcoming civic association meetings, donate (and suggest your neighbors donate) used building material from the next renovation project, endorse ReBuild in your neighborhood newsletter or Angie's List, write a letter to your community newspaper about ReBuild, volunteer a few hours a month at the warehouse, or help our staff man our booth at a community event.  Without an extensive community relations or marketing budget, ReBuild depends on this type of neighbor-to-neighbor sharing of information for our existence.

Also, please encourage your friends and neighbors to sign up for ReBuild's newsletter so they can see first-hand what we are accomplishing and how their purchase or donation dollar is working for the community.