Apply now to take part in Community Paint-A-Thon

Over the last 36 years, the annual Community Paint-A-Thon has helped nearly 1,000 income eligible homeowners receive a fresh coat of paint for the exterior of their homes at no cost.

This initiative is made possible due to a partnership between 10 area townships - including Barrington, Elk Grove, Hanover, Maine, New Trier, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling - along with Catholic Charities, Sherwin-Williams, Habitat for Humanity Northern Fox Valley, and HandsOn Suburban Chicago.

The next Community Paint-A-Thon will take place Saturday, Sept. 9. While the paint date is still a few months away, applications to be included in this program are due by Saturday, July 8.

Once approved, homeowners will be visited by a team of volunteers a week ahead of the Paint-A-Thon date, when they will complete prep work, such as scraping peeling paint, caulking and spot priming. On paint day, volunteers arrive in the morning and normally complete the project in one day.

"This event helps our seniors 60 and over, along with veterans and those who are permanently disabled, to get their houses painted when they otherwise would not be able to afford this type of project," said Barbara Beckman, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley. "Habitat for Humanity, along with all of our partners, is proud to make this type of assistance possible."

Residents who apply must live in and own their home, have current homeowners' insurance and their property tax payments must be current. Homeowners also must not be planning to sell their home within the next two years.

Additionally, houses must be a maximum of two stories, be structurally sound and not in need of major repairs, and the landscaping should not be overgrown.

All homes/applications are reviewed and approved by an inspector before they can be included in the Paint-A-Thon event.

Catholic Charities serves as the intake agency and screens applications, which verifies income and determines financial eligibility in this program. Interested homeowners can contact the township that they live in for more information, or reach directly to Catholic Charities for an application by emailing infoccnw@catholiccharities.net or calling (847) 253-5500.

Volunteers for this initiative are recruited from local schools, businesses, religious organizations, social service and civic groups, and must be at least 16 years of age.

To get involved, email Donnie Graham at HandsOn Suburban Chicago, donnie@handsonsuburbanchicago.org.