In the heart of Oklahoma City, one community development program, RestoreOKC, is hard at work to restore the health, environment, reconciliation, and equity of neighbors and neighborhoods. A significant part of that is building out its workshop, where locals can come to develop their talents on a path to the skilled trades. Having those skilled trade workers in the community will play a critical role in RestoreOKC's ultimate mission of revitalizing community buildings and neighborhood homes. It was a long-term goal for Caylee Dodson, Executive Director of RestoreOKC, but with the help of Lowe's Hometowns grant, what was to be a months—or even years-long project is now complete.
Lowe's gift fundamentally gives us a space where we can see men, especially, restoring not only their own lives but also the next generations of their own families while they're also repairing and restoring the actual physical assets in our community, which are housing.
On Red Vest Day, a feeling of camaraderie and accomplishment was in the air as volunteers came together to paint spaces and work on projects that uplift the community.
It's a bit of a dream scenario day when you look up the block, and you just see all these red vests walking down with wheelbarrows, and the project's been hammered out, and they turn it into a competition between stores. So we were able to get a lot done in a little amount of time.
The skilled trades workshop build is just a small part of RestoreOKC's future plans, including a robust workforce development program that will complement the state-of-the-art trades training facility. Caylee shares that by removing barriers to entry, RestoreOKC aims to create an inclusive environment where anyone with a passion for learning the trades can thrive.
The generous support from partners like Lowe's adds momentum to RestoreOKC's mission, providing a space where individuals can not only rebuild their lives but also contribute to revitalizing their community.
