Contributing Author: Ainsley MacDougal | ToolBank USA Summer Intern
ToolBank Executive Director Rally 2024: Cincinnati, OH
Executive directors from nine of our affiliate ToolBanks met in Cincinnati from July 11th to 14th for an Executive Director Rally. It was a chance for our executive directors to learn from and about each other. Most of the rally was spent getting down to business with collaborative sessions led by those within the ToolBank network and some outside speakers, including Turner Construction, OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence, and Mivie. The brainstorming and collaboration were exhilarating!
Besides the hard work, we fit in some moments for fun and connection. ToolBank USA hosted a welcome happy hour Thursday night at New Riff Distillery (stay tuned for information about our ToolBank bottles of bourbon). On Friday night, our executive directors enjoyed a Cincinnati Reds baseball game thanks to the generous gift of a corporate suite from PNC Bank. Healthy competition was between our Charlotte and Cincinnati executive directors over the FC Cincinnati vs Charlotte FC soccer game. Of course, we had to dine at Pepp and Dolores to watch the game. Charlotte FC won, so Charlotte ToolBank won a DEWALT Tools Portable Power Station. No sore losers here!
ToolBank build event with UPS volunteers & TDS Tampa distributes Disaster Relief Kits
Thank You UPS Foundation: Trey Bearden, our ToolBank Chief Program Officer, headed to New Jersey to join our supporters at UPS for a corporate volunteer build day. Trey and 120 UPS Technology Group volunteers assembled over 45 pieces of furniture! These picnic tables and park benches will be donated to Ramsey Responds and Ozanam Family Shelter and will provide a nice addition to the outdoor spaces at these organizations.
Keep it up, Tampa: Our Tampa ToolBank Disaster Services location participated in a Hurricane Relief Kit Giveaway along with Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay. Volunteers distributed buckets to homeowners from our supporters at Grainger and The Home Depot. These kits will enable the community to remain prepared as we move through this year’s hurricane season.
Check out what’s going on at each of our ToolBanks across the nation. Scroll down to each affiliate and expand the text block to read more about your favorite ToolBank team. All of our affiliates are doing amazing work and we can’t wait to share their updates with you monthly.
Make sure and scroll through the images to the right of our affiliate updates. Most of the updates come with a couple of images related to their article.
Atlanta ToolBank Update:
Reaching out to our Young Community: The Atlanta ToolBank had special guests over the past month. Cheryl Naja joined Atlanta’s CJ Clark and the US Attorney’s Office at the ToolBank as part of the Credible Messenger Program’s community outreach work. The Credible Messenger Program’s leadership is extraordinary, and Dr. Danielle Whylly leads the program with a team that is passionate about making a difference in the lives of Atlanta’s youth. As always, CJ Clark creates fun and inspiring projects and opportunities at the ToolBank!
Tools at a Bargain: The Atlanta ToolBank hosted a pop-up sale at North Fulton Charities. Tools were sold for low prices, and all proceeds benefited the ToolBank. The funds will be used to continue to serve member agencies whose volunteers make Atlanta a more vibrant and progressive place for everyone.
Boards and BBQ: Atlanta hosted their family-friendly competitive fundraiser on July 27th from 4-8 pm. Attendees enjoyed some cornhole, live music, food, drinks, and awesome prizes. Cornhole team ‘Team Rubicon’ walked away as the winners of this year’s event! Sending a huge thank you to everyone that came out and supported the Atlanta ToolBank’s fundraiser!
Baltimore ToolBank Update:
Hammers & Ales tix lit and live! This year, the Baltimore ToolBank is rebooting its signature annual event. Welcome to… Hammer & Ales FIELD DAY! Custom-made putt-putt holes, cornhole, outdoor games for all ages, and food trucks! They are going to keep local brews, music, raffles, auctions, and vibes. The event will take place on Saturday, October 12…so save the date if you are in the Baltimore area during their event! The current beverage lineup includes Checkerspot Brewing Company, Peabody Heights Brewery, Union Craft Brewing, and Wico Street Brewing Co.!
Charlotte ToolBank Update:
Volunteers Making an Impact: The Charlotte ToolBank has so many heartfelt messages of gratitude to give out during their extremely busy July. Team Rubicon, Wells Fargo, Whiting-Turner, Albemarle Corporation Summer interns, and others offered invaluable assistance. Thanks to their help, ToolBank warehouses are thriving, and orders are being fulfilled more efficiently. Local volunteers have played a pivotal role in this progress, with volunteer groups also contributing to pulling 960 items for LOVE Week 2024. Our ToolBanks are immensely grateful for the dedication of our volunteers across the network, especially during significant volunteer initiatives such as LOVE Week.
Cincinnati ToolBank Update:
July’s Tool Orders Were Heating Up: Along with the inevitable heat, July brought a high volume of ToolBank orders to supply all those important summer projects. The Cincinnati ToolBank equipped 140 projects just in July- undoubtedly making a difference in our community and neighborhoods. Along with the projects, they fulfilled 61 tool orders, supplied over 1,500 volunteers, and saved our member agencies $165,540 off the retail value of purchasing the tools.
Building on Our Community is Right Around the Corner on September 7, 2024: This year, ToolBank is partnering with Tikkun Farm in Mt. Healthy on a few exciting projects to improve their grounds and facility to help them increase their impact in the community. Tikkun is an urban farm that provides access to healthy foods through its Free Market, job training, learning opportunities for people of all ages, and afterschool programming for kids. We are so excited to work with them! Learn more about Building on Our Community.
Houston ToolBank Update:
Hurricane Beryl Response: The Houston ToolBank has been working tirelessly since Hurricane Beryl made landfall in SE Texas in mid-July. More than a million people were without power. ToolBank has been working with council member Abbie Kamin to provide generators, fans, and portable air conditioners to a few senior residential facilities. Unfortunately, Houston’s Executive Director, Marly Maskill, missed the Executive Director Rally in Cincinnati to stay back and help her team during their hurricane response efforts. Truly the sign of a great leader, and you were greatly missed during the rally!
Magic City ToolBank Update:
ToolBank USA launched the new Magic City ToolBank in Birmingham, AL, last month and hired executive director Clint Denson. Clint has been working with local municipalities to spread the word about the new ToolBank. He’s been sending marketing collateral to town hall meetings and with the assistance of his local city councilwoman.
Clint joined his fellow executive directors for our ED rally in Cincinnati as well. The event was a great networking and learning experience for the new directors, and we’re sure that he’ll have some great takeaways for running our latest ToolBank. We look forward to updating our network on all the great things happening in the Magic City…like the ToolBank’s first tool order!
If you are in the Birmingham area or know people there, please pass this along, as we are seeking local supporters and board members.
New Orleans ToolBank Update:
16,000+ Volunteers Descend on New Orleans: ELCA Youth Gathering volunteers borrowed ToolBank tools to complete their community beautification projects. They cleaned and restored the front of catch basins in ten New Orleans neighborhoods. The 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering welcomed 16,000+ youth and their adult leaders to New Orleans under the theme “Created to Be.” Participants explored the theme “Created to Be: BRAVE,” remembering that everyone is created to show up with an open mind and heart, willing to be challenged. We love to see so many volunteers descend on New Orleans!
Phoenix ToolBank Update:
One Step Closer to Tool Delivery in Phoenix: The Phoenix ToolBank is excited to announce the newest addition to the warehouse…A PICKUP TRUCK. The ToolBank officially has a truck to start finalizing their plan to roll out delivery for member agencies. The truck will also be a massive asset for collecting tools and equipment from donors, stores, and more! Thank you to Jokake Construction for selling us your fleet vehicle – acquiring a truck was a monumental part of the growth plan for Phoenix.
Richmond ToolBank:
The Park Benches We Built, Where Are They Now? Building Change is Richmond ToolBank’s community give-back experience that empowers groups of volunteers of any age, background, or affiliation to build lasting change in their community. After volunteers complete a Building Change project at the ToolBank, they want to know where their fabulous creations will be used in their city.
Some Building Change session park benches have recently been placed along Wahrani Trail. The new benches, hand-built by our Building Change volunteers, provide trail walkers at New Kent Parks and Recreation with a spot to rest and enjoy the scenery. Interns from PB Mares, LLC built benches donated to Esther Manor Farm, a woman-owned farm in Beaverdam, VA, that grows African ethnic produce and promotes sustainable agriculture. CarMax and Richmond Cycling Corps participated in a quarter-pipe ramp build.
Richmond Tree Stewards Success Story: With warmer temperatures, the Richmond ToolBank has been enjoying picnics at a few of their favorite parks. Many of these parks feature trees planted by the Richmond Tree Stewards. Since 2017, they’ve been accessing ToolBank’s 10,000-square-foot tool-lending warehouse for quality tools to complete planting projects around the city. Check out two recent testimonials from members of the Tree Stewards.
“Our success testimonial lines the streets of the Swansboro West neighborhood in the form of 45 trees that would not be there without our partnership with the Richmond Community ToolBank. We simply could not afford to plant as many trees as quickly without such a valuable community resource like the ToolBank. As a result, and through the support of other organizations, we are likely going to be able to plant well more than the 100 trees planned with the grant we received.”
“Additionally, the allowance to keep the tools for the entire planting season (three months) helped us reduce trips back and forth to the ToolBank picking up and dropping off the same tools over and over, reducing our carbon footprint and giving more time to commit to the project.”
We love sharing incredible success stories from around our network!
Windy City ToolBank:
