The team at Venmo recently had the humbling opportunity to volunteer with Friends of Rockaway, a non-profit dedicated to rebuilding homes for displaced Hurricane Sandy survivors. We put in a hard day’s work, but this time around it was with power drills and paint rollers instead of laptops and headphones.
Friends of Rockaway has helped rebuild over 122 homes since Hurricane Sandy devastated the area three years ago, and has cleaned out and repaired over 600 more. We were invited to help out on Mrs. Stevens’ home. Site managers Sarah and Emily explained to us that Mrs. Steven’s entire first floor flooded during the storm, and she had been living on the second story of her house for a few years before the non-profit came in to help her clean out the mold, muck and gut the first floor, and begin renovations.
The Venmo volunteers spent the morning bopping around on ladders, sanding the newly-installed drywall, getting covered in dust, laughing at each other, and rocking out to Sarah’s catchy playlist. After lunch, we took turns sharing some of our favorite Venmo memories while replacing old hardware on the outdoor porch and giving it a good coat of fresh paint. Despite sore muscles, we had a joyful trip home, knowing that we worked hard and made a difference.Thanks to Friends of Rockaway and their amazing volunteers, Mrs. Stevens should be able to occupy the first floor of her home by the end of December. Visit friendsofrockaway.org to learn more about how to help their cause.