Chesterfieldian Helps to Rebuild St. Louis

This week, Patch introduces you to Chesterfield resident Dave Ervin, executive director of Rebuilding Together-St. Louis, which helps elderly, disabled and low-income individuals by repairing their homes.

Rebuilding Together-St. Louis is on a quest to create a safe and healthy home for every person. The organization repairs homes throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area, all the way to Jefferson County and St. Charles.

The work includes a wide variety of projects. They paint, build wheelchair ramps, redo electricity, fix gutters, repair roofs, repair plumbing—anything to make a person's living environment more comfortable. On a special day called Christmas in April, they will manage 2,500 volunteers to repair between 65 and 100 homes located throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Those repairs require a lot of materials, which cost a lot of money. Rebuilding Together's funds come from a variety of sources; their trivia night, which is on Aug. 12, has become an important source of funds and a favorite of organizers and volunteers alike.

“It's a gigantic event—a trademark event for us,” said Dave Ervin, executive director of Rebuilding Together. “We have the best trivia questions. We work hard to come up with great and interesting trivia.”

Ervin spent 37 years in the radio business; he was most recently as vice president and general manager of KMOX radio. The native of Milwaukee and alumni of University of Wisconsin in Madison worked his way up the ladder with the Bonneville Radio Group and Radio One, in such cities as Los Angeles, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis. 

When Ervin retired from radio, he looked for a way to get involved in the community. “I looked for a nonprofit. Being a fellow who likes to work with his hands—work with tools—Rebuilding Together was a perfect fit,” he said. He first got involved with the organization about two years ago.

“The economy hit people hard in terms of being able to handle the necessities,” Ervin said. “Some of these homes were built around the World's Fair and they still have people living in them, but it's hard to keep them up. The numbers are increasing with more people needing help.”

The work is performed by volunteers; some are skilled and others aren't. “People can volunteer as an individual, but often, a corporate person approaches us to donate funds as well as a group of volunteers,” Ervin said. “Most of them learn something on the job. You don't have to be skilled.”

Not only does Ervin find the work meaningful, he is quick to give credit to everyone who helps Rebuilding Together be successful in their vision.

“My passion is to help folks that can't help themselves,” Ervin said. “I work with people who are also dedicated, and we invite all Chesterfield residents to get involved with Rebuilding Together. It touches my heart to work with low-income folks to help them stay in their homes. It's very fulfilling.”

Rebuilding Together's sixth annual trivia night will be held at 6 p.m. on Aug. 12 at  Electrician’s Hall-Local 1, 5850 Elizabeth Ave., St. Louis. The trivia starts at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Rebuilding Together website.