Rebuilding Together Lynchburg: Making an impact

Mary Fleshman has lived in the aging home she owns on downtown’s Elm Street for more than a year, with no companion except her dog, 14-year-old Pookie.

Facing eviction because her house, built more than 100 years ago, did not meet city code standards, Fleshman, 51, is getting help from Lynchburg’s chapter of Rebuilding Together.

Over the past few weeks volunteers have been gathering at her house to get it back in shape, and they’re not stopping at anything short of a complete overhaul.

“We’re just gutting it out,” said volunteer Larry Sowers, “and putting in new wiring and new plumbing for her, and drywall, and different things like that.”

Sowers and his brother Harry got involved with Rebuilding Together Lynchburg in October, after the organization solicited help from Thomas Road Baptist Church, which both attend.

“They have told us that this is one of the most active groups of Rebuilding in the country,” Sowers said.

And Fleshman’s house, he said, is the biggest project he’s taken part in since joining the group.

“It’ll be at least three or four more weekends,” Sowers said, noting that most projects the group undertakes can be accomplished in about a day, with two or three volunteers.

Fleshman’s house, though, required much more than some simple repairs.

For starters, she had no operational heating system, and two of her space heaters had recently stopped working. The water heater was shot, ceiling support beams needed straightening and windows needed replacing.

Though Sowers said the house is structurally sound, most everything else needed work.

“The motto of (Rebuilding Together Lynchburg) is ‘warm, safe and dry,’” Sowers said.

Fleshman’s niece, 16-year-old Mallory Bryant, ended up at her aunt’s house by accident, she said, after she signed up to volunteer with Rebuilding Together Lynchburg for the day.

“I was shocked. I didn’t know I was going to come to my aunt’s house,” Mallory said.

She spent the day knocking down sheet rock, hanging plastic over newly hung insulation, cleaning the yard and talking with her aunt.

Fleshman said she didn’t recognize her niece at first.

“It was a shock to me when I found that she was standing right there and I didn’t know who she was,” Fleshman said.

Sandy Walton, executive director of Lynchburg’s chapter, said the group received a $9,000 grant from Lowe’s to purchase and rent the materials needed to renovate Fleshman’s house. She said Lowe’s will also be sending volunteers to the house over upcoming weekends.

Walton said the organization now has a few hundred volunteers in the Lynchburg area, about 100 coming from Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Walton said she heard about Fleshman’s problems last year, she said, when a social worker noted that the house had “plumbing issues.”

Walton said Rebuilding Together renovates the houses at no expense to the homeowner.

“Our goal is to keep homeowners in their own homes,” she said, adding “It’s just putting folks together who can help each other.”

Fleshman said she’s thankful for the help, especially since she’s disabled and can’t afford to make the repairs herself.

“I appreciate everything they’re doing,” Fleshman said. “It helps a lot when you can’t afford it.”