Rebuild Upstate honors volunteers during National Volunteer Appreciation Week
April 30, 2025
Rebuild Upstate, a local home repair nonprofit, recognized volunteers, donors, and partners at the Because of You BBQ, held during National Volunteer Appreciation Week.
“Volunteers are essential to our mission; nothing we do would be possible without them,” shared Jake Beaty, Rebuild Upstate CEO. “It’s our pleasure as staff to serve volunteers at the Because of You BBQ and celebrate the people who choose to serve through our home repair program.”
Volunteers in attendance were served barbecue prepared and donated by Nick Smith, Rebuild Upstate board member and mortgage loan officer at First Palmetto Bank, and sides were provided by Kin Anderson of Clearview Mortgage. First Palmetto Bank sponsored the event.
Some of the awards presented during the program included:
- Site Leader of the Year: Presented to Mark Hyndman
- Handyman Club Volunteer of the Year: Presented to Tom Lappin
- Outstanding Volunteer: Presented to Walt Laiewski and Jay Valachovic
- Ambassador Award: Presented to Doug Greenwell
- Young Professional Volunteer: Presented to Melody Wunrow
- Foundational Supporter: Presented to Lisa Gilstrap
Additional honorees included Home Repair Warriors (volunteers who serve 50 or more hours), Nuts & Bolts Awards (organizations that provided both volunteer and financial support in 2024), and Cornerstone Awards (teams volunteering on four or more build days throughout 2024).
In 2024, more than one thousand volunteers helped Rebuild Upstate complete 702 repairs at 153 homes. To learn more about the award honorees, visit https://rebuildupstate.org/individuals-honored-during-national-volunteer-appreciation-week-2025/.
About Rebuild Upstate
Rebuild Upstate serves low-income homeowners with repairs and accessibility improvements to create safe, livable housing in existing homes and neighborhoods in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Its team envisions a community where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of dignity in a safe home environment to maintain and foster strong, sustainable communities. Learn more at www.rebuildupstate.org.
