How you can share in Elgin's Neighbor to Neighbor Day

Two neighborhoods near downtown Elgin are hoping to dust the doldrums off foreclosed properties in a late-spring, large-scale cleanup project.

Elgin Neighbor to Neighbor Day, which is part of a weeklong, national celebration of neighborhoods through NeighborWorks America, is slated from 8:30 a.m. to noon June 6.

Organizers are preparing for 150 volunteers to work at as many as 25 different residential sites that day improving the yards of foreclosed properties and helping people do minor cleanup and repair.

Dave Kaptain, an Elgin city council member and chairman of a neighborhood advisory council with Neighborhood Housing Services of the Fox Valley, said NHS is preparing now for the day to make it even bigger than last year, when more than 100 volunteers improved a dozen east-side properties.

"We will be working on the near-east again in the Summit Park Neighborhood and Settlement and expanding our focus west of Dundee Avenue into the northeast side," said Kaptain. "The North East Neighborhood Association is compiling a map of foreclosed properties, which we can use to target properties which need help the most."

NHS of the Fox Valley is expecting to receive up to $5,000 from NeighborWorks America to fund the June 6 projects including everything from supplies to paint, explained Kaptain. The day also includes a kickoff breakfast and lunch for volunteers at Clara Howard Park on Fremont Street.

"Part of our objective as NHS of the Fox Valley during this day is improve housing but also to show our organization is committed to more than just giving money to neighborhoods," added Kaptain. "It's a concrete way for us to show our commitment to volunteerism."

NHS of the Fox Valley, formerly called Neighborhood Housing Services of Elgin, worked hard to re-establish itself in the community last year after not renewing a contract with a former executive director and merging with NHS of Chicago. Since then, it became one of only nine NHS offices in Northern Illinois - the majority of which are in Chicago - while educating potential homebuyers, helping people stave off foreclosure, and providing a multitude of loans.

Kaptain said the Elgin organization ranks in the middle of the nine organizations in funding loans.

With a full-time staff of only four, run by director Johnny Placeres, the organization is hoping to place 10 or more new homebuyers in houses this year, while partnering with new organizations such as Community Contacts to provide more workshops and seminars.

Kaptain said he would also like to see the advisory council grow in membership and for the organization to embrace more partnerships with local faith communities. The council recently added board members from Amcore, Bank of America and PNC banks.

"The NHS offices in Chicago have terrific partnerships with churches," he said. "That's something we'd like to see happen here in Elgin."

With the worldwide economic slowdown affecting everyone - including seniors - NHS is also seeking to expand programs for seniors, such as reverse mortgages, he added.

Residents, organizations, faith-based communities and businesses are encouraged to volunteer for Neighbor to Neighbor Day. For information, call NHS of the Fox Valley at (847) 695-0399.