Next time you're on your way down to get a Chipotle lunch, you may notice an addition to Brown Street. While there is no new building, a very important non-profit organization, Rebuilding Together Dayton, has recently moved into the Rubicon House at 1056 Brown St.

Rebuilding Together Dayton will share the space with the University of Dayton's Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. Both programs exist in order to improve the quality of life in the area.

'This was an easy mission match,' said Dick Ferguson, executive director of the Fitz Center, in a recent press release. 'We believe UD students, faculty and staff will become involved in Rebuilding Together Dayton through our classes, service clubs and leadership programs.'

The specific mission of Rebuilding Together Dayton is to build community partnerships and provide home rehabilitation for low-income Dayton homeowners. This means doing much-needed repairs to the homes of elderly Dayton citizens who have trouble doing it on their own.

According to Amy Radachi, executive director of Rebuilding Together Dayton, the organization has helped over 250 homeowners with repairs, since 1996. Neighbor-Care, the year-round program for more minor to moderate repairs which began in 2001 and also run by Rebuilding Together Dayton, has performed over 350 repairs throughout Montgomery County.

In addition, all such repairs and improvements done by the organization cost nothing to the homeowner.

The number of people helped should only grow following the move to Brown Street. 'We have at least tripled our space in the move,' Radachi said, 'and we will be able to better serve our clients by having more room to work.'

The UD community at large will reap the benefits of such a move, such as easy access for students to participate in community service.

'We are anxious to work with homeowners in the Fairgrounds and South Park neighborhoods and offer great volunteer opportunities for UD's students,' Radachi said.

The largest project, hosted by RTD, offers a great opportunity for UD students to get involved with the program.

On April 29, nearly 1,200 volunteers will work on 30 homes across the City of Dayton, providing a staggering $250,000 worth of home repairs. Radachi expects the recent move to Brown Street to lead to more UD students volunteering in Rebuilding Day.

Rebuilding Together Dayton is just one example of community service. Community service can be as small as picking up trash or as large as one can make it. However, the intangibles one can gain from freely helping others are unexplainable.

Radachi noted that 'doing community service provides a nice way to connect with the larger community.'