Neighbors helping neighbors. In 1973, a small group of people in Midland, Texas, realized a growing need in their community. Homes in their community had fallen into disrepair and their neighbors could not afford to fix them on their own. The group volunteered their time and skills to rehabilitate the homes of their neighbors. Realizing the potential impact of this work, the group formed Christmas in April, with the intent of performing repair and rehabilitation work in their community every April.News of the group's good work spread slowly, but eventually achieved national recognition. The mission spread beyond the idea of providing service once a year in April to bringing together partners from all walks of life to help our neighbors year-round. We became Rebuilding Together and opened the national office in 1988.Rebuilding Together South Sound was established in 2001 and is part of the national Rebuilding Together organization. We are a volunteer, charitable group and repair or rebuild homes at no cost to low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled or families with children.Our mission is simple: Repairing homes, revitalizing communities, rebuilding lives.Rebuilding Together South Sound is governed by a 15-member volunteer board of directors and is staffed by an executive director, operations director, network and communications manager, program director, construction manager, project manager and 3 AmeriCorps members. Our affiliate is part of the national Rebuilding Together organization which has nearly 150 affiliates across the United States and annually completes home modifications and rehab to over 10,000 house and nonprofits with the help of over 200,000 volunteers.