Bell Investment Advisors’ staff is once again partnering with our office building neighbors three floors up, the legendary Oakland law firm, Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean LLP, to work side by side on a project to rehabilitate the home of a senior and/or disabled Oakland/East Bay resident — free of charge — by the incredible non-profit organization, formerly known as Christmas in April, now known as Rebuilding Together Oakland-East Bay. Many independent but related Rebuilding Together organizations exist in cities throughout the country, but each is locally run and required to raise their own funds for local projects each year.
Year after year (eight so far), our staff and often clients, family members, and friends, have found enormous gratification in providing free labor and financial contributions to these rehab projects, which result in a complete makeover of the selected property. By adding a fresh coat of exterior and interior paint, replacing a roof, providing new doors, window screens, repairing a front or back porch, replacing locks, and installing railings or ramps, we are able to make it possible for the homeowner(s) to remain in their own homes and independent far beyond what would have been possible were those repairs not completed. You really can’t imagine the gratitude these people experience by the end of a project, when we all pose together in front of the made-over home.
In addition to Bell’s financial contributions over the years to the several RTO projects, and the labor provided by staff, clients, friends, and family members, we are also proud to have provided a Board member to the organization for the past five and a half years. This is our own Laurent Harrison, Senior Investment Advisor and Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner. Laurent is not a pure amateur RTO volunteer as are most of us. Some volunteers have extensive skills and building expertise; they do the hard stuff and tell the rest of us what to do. The majority of us clean, sweep, paint, garden, go on errands during a project, pick up snacks or lunch, hammer nails, pull out old nails, etc. It’s fun to work side by side engaged in these types of activities, when normally you work side by side doing whatever it is you do at the office day to day. If you’re a client, you get to see your financial advisor or financial planner or relationship manager in paint-splattered jeans and a baseball cap.
If any of this appeals to you, and you would like to know more, please contact Lauren Taylor at our office, 510.433.1066. We would love you to join our team on one or both Saturdays, April 28, and/or May 12. You will never forget or regret the experience.