Volunteers needed for A Brush With Kindness

Springtime home improvement projects like painting the exterior or landscaping the yard may not quite be on your radar given the temperatures outside, but Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley is looking for eligible homeowners to participate in a new program to spruce up neighborhoods.

A Brush with Kindness is a program to benefit low-income homeowners undertake the exterior projects that may fall by the wayside like painting or landscaping. Volunteers will work with families to make sure their home doesn't fall into disrepair.

Participants must be willing to help the Habitat for Humanity volunteers complete the project.

Justin Lucas, A Brush with Kindness coordinator, says the organization is taking applicants now for the program that will start when the weather breaks - hopefully sometime in April.

Lucas said there have already been a number of applicants but said there's still room for a few more. Habitat for Humanity is planning 10 of the A Brush with Kindness projects in the Carpentersville and Elgin areas.

Habitat for Humanity of the Northern Fox Valley is celebrating its 20th year with 20 rehab and A Brush with Kindness projects. The organization has built dozens of new homes in the area in that time, but the housing market has made building new homes impractical.

Instead, the group is now focusing its efforts on buying foreclosed homes in the area and rehabbing them for families.

"We realized building new homes wasn't going to solve the housing problems in the area," Lucas said.

Valspar Corp. is donating the paint supplies for the programs but corporate sponsors are always needed to defray the costs.

Habitat for Humanity does not charge homeowners to complete the work.

Those interested should call the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley at (847) 836-1432 to see if they are eligible and meet certain income requirements. Anyone interested in volunteering should call the same number.

Lucas said about 150 volunteers are needed to complete the one-day projects, which will be scheduled for Saturdays throughout the spring.

• Larissa Chinwah covers Carpentersville, East and West Dundee, Hampshire and Dundee Township.