12/15/2009: Charlotte ToolBank Established
ToolBank USA announced the establishment of the Charlotte Community ToolBank on Thursday, following the first official meeting of the Charlotte ToolBank Board of Directors. The Charlotte Community ToolBank is modeled after the Atlanta Community ToolBank, which has loaned tools to Atlanta’s charitable sector since 1992. Successful replication of the ToolBank program model is ToolBank USA’s mission, which has initiated similar dialogues in more than a dozen other cities.
The Atlanta Community ToolBank provides a vast inventory of tools for use by charitable organizations in greater Atlanta. Nonprofits, faith-based groups, education institutions, and neighborhood associations borrow shovels, ladders, drills, wheelbarrows, and other essential tools for a small fee to increase the impact of volunteers while reducing expenses. The Atlanta Community ToolBank is expected to equip more than 40,000 volunteers in 2009 and more than 1,700 service projects this year. “We are excited to participate in this national movement,” said Patty Russart, executive director of the Atlanta Community ToolBank. “While the Atlanta ToolBank has a lot of wisdom to share, we are really looking forward to learning from the experiences of our counterparts in other cities.” The Atlanta Community ToolBank is preparing to serve as the national ToolBank training facility, and intends to support its first sibling in Charlotte with a donation of several pallets of tools.
The Charlotte Community ToolBank will offer the same service of ‘tool stewardship’ to Charlotte’s nonprofit sector, adding value and impact to volunteer efforts throughout the metro Charlotte region. The tool inventory of the Charlotte ToolBank will grow in size and value over time, thereby increasing its value to the local nonprofit community. The Charlotte Community ToolBank and ToolBank USA will spend the first half of 2010 procuring resources, with the goal of opening its doors and lending tools mid-year. The Home Depot Foundation, The Stanley Works, and The UPS Foundation have committed nearly $50,000 in startup funds for the Charlotte ToolBank. Brian Davis of Alston and Bird was elected Board President of the Charlotte Community ToolBank on Thursday, with Mark Ortiz of The Home Depot serving as Vice President.
“The Charlotte leadership team is remarkably dynamic, and a strong indicator of the future impact of their ToolBank,” said ToolBank USA CEO Mark Brodbeck. “With Charlotte as the first pilot and Atlanta as the proven model, we can move ahead with the goal of revolutionizing volunteerism in the United States.”
ToolBank USA was launched in 2008 through a founding grant from the Home Depot Foundation, with the mission of replicating the ToolBank program in communities across the nation. ToolBank USA provides the business model, training, infrastructure and systems support to each local ToolBank, allowing each ToolBank to focus on tool stewardship and superior customer service. Additional support for ToolBank USA has also been provided by The Stanley Works and The UPS Foundation.
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to building affordable homes for working families that are healthy to live in and affordable to own. To make homes healthy and affordable, the Foundation encourages developers to incorporate responsible design and use durable and quality materials to ensure that homes are more energy and water efficient, have good indoor air quality, and provide a safe and healthy space to live. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $120 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 65,000 affordable, healthy homes. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.
Pictured from left to right, back row: Bryan Manges of Piedmont Natural Gas, Leslie Rink of United Way Central Carolinas, Bernice Parenti of Johnson and Wales University, Drew Leyes of Alston and Bird, Rebecca Durham of Stanley Works, Brian Davis of Alston and Bird, Ronnie Price of UPS. Front row: Mark Ortiz of The Home Depot, Maureen Krueger, Doug Hulse of Bank of America, Raj Natarajan of Kilpatrick Stockton, John Reinke of The Home Depot.