Red Lake, MN – July 23-29, 2023

We had no weekly volunteers scheduled until a week ago.  The summer youth program group that was going to go to Dawson Springs got redirected to Red Lake due to insufficient work left to do there.  Our surprise volunteers came to us from Wisconsin and is comprised of 12 young men and women and the 2 adults they brought along.  The energy level is high around here in the evening!  This week we say farewell to our Project Director, Office Manager, Head Cook, Assistant Cook, and 2 Crew Leaders.  Three new long term volunteers joined us to begin the transition to the new leadership team.  Our new Project Director is from New York and our new Office Manager and a Crew Leader are from Kansas.

Work on our clients’ houses is proceeding quickly.  It’s a full-time job to keep ahead of the crews, making sure the materials they need are available when they need them.  Currently, we have 17 jobs signed on of which 7 have been completed and 10 remain open.  The work is similar for all our clients – removing and replacing damaged siding, replacing broken windows, painting and caulking.

This week we were visited by Jerry Loud, the Executive Director of the Red Lake Nation who expressed the gratitude of the nation for the work we are doing.  Along with Jerry, Connie Byrdfrom the Oshkiimaajitahdah Vocational Rehabilitation offices spoke with us about the needs of the tribe, her work and the Red Lake culture.