Wharton Journal

Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Insider

Over the past two weeks, I have written about the trials and tribulations the house managers faced from scoping out the project work to managing "client" expectations regarding how much we can actually do. I have also introduced Thyssen, one of the home owners, and her initial reluctance during our first work weekend and her transformation to an active participant, working side by side with the volunteers.

So hopefully by now, you have an appreciation for how much effort the house managers and support staff for Rebuilding Together (RTP) have put forth to make this a successful endeavor for homeowners and volunteers alike. I also hope that you have a deeper understanding of how hard it can be for the people we are helping to welcome volunteers into their lives.

As we go into the final week of the RTP initiative and the projects are winding down, I would like to share some of my personal thoughts on my experience, much as Jennifer Schropshire, the current President of RTP and Wharton alum (WG '96), did in our first article on Rebuilding Together (see February 19, 2007 issue).

As those in my cohort will tell you, I love to volunteer, so it's no surprise that I wanted to be a house manager and give back to the surrounding community. Throughout the past month, countless hours have been spent working on houses in West Philly, unfortunately I did not get a chance to meet all of the other homeowners nor work with many of the volunteers who came each week but I believe that we all have had similar experiences. I am looking forward to the end of the RTP work weekends, but not because I am sleep deprived and want to sleep in on the weekends, no, I am looking forward to the end because it means that we have accomplished our mission. We improved the safety, comfort, and independence of our homeowner, Thyssen. The new hand rail gives her greater mobility in her own home, her kitchen is awash in color, and her dangling ceiling fan has been replaced, while all of these projects seem superficial, the impact goes much deeper.

I have personally been affected by the experience as well. Working closely with the other house managers created strong friendships but more importantly I really got to know what makes them tick. All too often we get caught up in the MBA experience, meeting as many new people as possible while reciting our elevator pitch along the way. RTP forces you to move beyond the surface and uncover people's strengths and weaknesses, passions and motivations, and whether you should hire them to paint your apartment or not. Technical abilities aside, I realized that you can do a lot with a small but highly motivated group of individuals. One of my goals as a house manager was to get everyone in my cohort out to volunteer however in hindsight I realize now that we got so much accomplished, sometimes with only 3 or 4 people - mainly because they were there because they wanted to be, not because they were forced. That is another empowering element of the RTP model, the homeowner must actually apply to the program - this creates a further sense of accountability - one that is critical to the success of the program.

I am proud to be involved with Rebuilding Together and have been blessed with a great support team in Terence Cuaso, Chris Bennet, Liz Ko, Allison Strickland, Eleanor Hsu, my fellow house managers, and of course all of the volunteers who were able to partake in the fun. Lynsey Wenger and Zach Ventress have been inspirational motivators, tireless coordinators, and Level 5 leaders.

I will be forever indebted to my cohort for the entertaining stories, but even more so for the friendships that will last a lifetime. I know that we made a difference in the Mill Park community in which we volunteered; the excitement in the eyes of the volunteers and the happiness in the voice of our homeowner say it all.

Be sure to check out Rebuilding Together in your local community (www.rebuildingtogether.org. Get out and volunteer one last time April 5th and 6th; free food, free transportation, and stories for the ages what's not to love. Contact your house manager for more details.

Rebuilding Together Volunteers:

Aaron Duncan - HM

Adrian Ironside - HM

Allwin Agnel

Anthony Okoro

Buddy Buruku

Carl Wojtaszek

Chi Onyewuchi - HM

Chris Bennett

Chris Hefty

Chris Johnson

Chris Tynan

Cleo Murphy

Dan Bowermaster

Dana Wade - HM

Dave Smith

David Pujades

Edouard Guerrand-Hermes

Eileen Chao

Eleanor Hsu

Elfreda Lau

Elizabeth Salter - HM

Eric Redline (+ fiancé, Amanda) - HM

Fernando Torres

Francis Kim + 1 (Amy)

Geralyn Villaflor - HM

Guillaume Van Rijckevorsel

Humera Afzal

Isaac Mason - HM

Isil Erbay

James Evan

Jan Dornbush - HM

Jason Green

Jeroen Van den Berge

John Goldie - HM

John Steen

Jong Shin

Josh Beer

Joyce Chow - HM

Joyce Liao

Kara Yokley

Karthik Venkataraman

Katie Vahle

Kearney Posner - HM

Keith Tauro

Laura Kirschbaum - HM

Lindy Blevins

Marc Salvany - HM

Maria Redin (+ her husband, Rob)

Maria Salcedo

Martha Welsh - HM

Matt Blank - HM

Matt Lozow - HM

Meghan Michels

Mike Berry - HM

Mike Donofrio + 1 (Christine) - HM

Mike Genho

Mike Pachos

Nami Mukasa - HM

Naoko Nishitani - HM

Neel Ketkar (+ his girlfriend, Puja)

Nitin Chopra

Onur Erbay

Patricia Werhahn - HM

Pei Hung

Ping Xu

Pradeep Jayaraman

Quresh Shakir

Radhika Singh

Rafael Carlos

Raymond Aronoff

Rob Mellema - HM

Roshan Hall

Ross Hammer

Russell Jones - HM

Saleem Zafar (+ his wife, Becca)

Sam Ongwen

Santiago Arambula

Sarah Hammer

Shiry Zofnat - HM

Stacey Brenner

Tarek Hayaly

Terry Hamer

Tom Boonyasai

Tom Welsh

Trin Zhuo

Organizations

AAMBA, Abriola Company, Booz Allen, Deloitte Consulting, GAPSA, Gio Pronto, Grasso Properties, Leo Carey, MBA Program Office, Media & Entertainment Club, Quest Builders, Scott Gardner, Steve Lawrence, Lawrence Electric, The Design School, The Fells School, The Wharton Journal, Tom Petruzzi, Tommy Praesel, WWIB

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