Partnerships with area colleges and universities strengthen RTP's
infrastructure and outreach. They also are “win, win, win”
situations. The schools find a unique vehicle for meeting their goals of
civic involvement. The students often find their RTP experience to be not
only educational, but life-altering. For more information on becoming a student
HMT (house management team) or volunteer group, please contact Jen Wootten,
Administrator and Program Coordinator at
jenw@rebuildingphilly.org
.
University of Pennsylvania
As the incubator of Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, The Wharton School of
Business of the University of Pennsylvania plays a pivotal role in shaping the
operations of RTP's work in West Philadelphia. Supporting RTP is a major
community service activity at both the graduate and undergraduate levels –
Penn-wide! An estimated 500 student volunteers made essential repairs for
16 homeowners in 2006-2007. For more information, contact the
West Philadelphia Executive Board
or the
Penn Undergraduate Board
.
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Independence and safety are often concerns for older adults. Students and faculty from the University of the Sciences Occupational Therapy Department are working with older adult homeowners to recommend and implement home modifications that will enable these homeowners to be safer and more independent in their homes. In addition, information regarding homeowner satisfaction, change in safety/performance, and commonly recommended modifications is being collected to guide future projects.
Learn more about the Occupational Therapy Department at USP.
Thomas Jefferson University
For the past three years, the Student Occupational Therapy Association at Thomas Jefferson University has been a house management team with RTP. As occupational therapy students, team members bring a refreshing perspective to homeowner projects as well as strong interpersonal skills. The students have many ideas for functional recommendations and repairs. Their training lends itself to providing organizational services to prevent falls, painting services to compensate for decreased endurance, and home modifications such as an area rug with a tack runner to prevent injury. Students appreciate the real world opportunity to utilize a collaborative approach for client-centered modifications. On average, more than thirty students contribute their time and energy to the homeowner project each year.
Learn more about the Occupational Therapy Department at Thomas Jefferson University.
University of Delaware
University of Delaware student teams support RTP while in pursuit of a major or
minor in Management Information Systems at the Alfred Lerner College of
Business and Economics . Through the capstone projects course, students adapt,
integrate, and implement technology to enhance their problem solving skills on
behalf of a client. As “consultants,” teams have designed our electronic
newsletter, an online mailing list registration, researched RTP's fundraising
database, formed the design and content of the website, documented community
impact, and strengthened internal communications. During the Spring 2008
semester, the student team researched accounting and fundraising software.
Learn more about the MIS Minor at University of Delaware.
Drexel University
With the sponsorship of the Office of Government and Community Relations, two
student-administrator volunteer teams from Drexel University provided critical
home repairs for a homeowner in the spring of 2006. The Center for Civic
Engagement provides the leadership and organization to make this significant
partnership possible.
Learn more about Drexel University's Center for Civic Engagement.
Temple University
Skilled volunteers are critical to the consistency, comprehensiveness, and
quality of repair projects. Accordingly, RTP is grateful for the work of
graduate students from Temple University's School of Communications. Their
research, conducted in the fall of 2005, led to recommendations for new ways to
approach tradespeople to recruit them as volunteers with RTP.
Learn more about Temple University's School of Communications.
