Naperville teen organizing volunteer efforts

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2007, Naperville resident Emily Stern found a position in the legal field.

"It was very interesting and I learned a lot," she said. "(But) I didn't feel as fulfilled as I thought I would."

Stern signed on with AmeriCorps, the domestic version of the Peace Corps started 15 years ago by President Bill Clinton to alleviate poverty. She is now working as the client outreach coordinator and only full-time staff member of Rebuilding Together Aurora, a local chapter of a national nonprofit, volunteer organization that helps low-income homeowners do home renovations and repairs.

Stern's salary is a stipend paid by AmeriCorps. Her goals are daunting: recruit 300 volunteers and nearly double the size of last year's budget to $220,000 in 11 months. Stern said she chose the position out of many that were open and is happy with her choice.

"People in this community really want to give," said Stern, who started in early September and does outreach in Naperville and Aurora. "It's one of the easiest communities I've ever worked in because people are just so willing to help redevelop and make better their communities."

As outreach coordinator, Stern works to identify low-income homeowners who have small children or are elderly or disabled and need help with home repairs.

She also seeks out sponsors and volunteers, which may come from civic organizations, churches and businesses.

Rebuilding Together Aurora, formerly known as Christmas in April, does most of its home repairs in a blitz on the last weekends in April. An open house for potential applicants will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 15 in Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place.

This year, funding from sponsors also made it possible to repair four homes in June and one in October, Stern said.

Stern worked alongside the volunteers who painted, cleaned and did other repairs at Jackie Serrano's Aurora home over two days in October. Serrano shares the house with her elderly parents, two children, and severely disabled nephew, Ramon. Serrano said her finances have suffered since she left a job with the city of Aurora three years ago to care for Ramon, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

The city sponsored repairs Rebuilding Together did to her home last year that included renovations to accommodate her nephew, but more work remained to be done. The vaunted ceilings of the home were splattered with food for Ramon's feeding tube. The outside of the home and trim needed a fresh coat of paint.

The volunteers from Rebuilding Together did all that and more, Serrano said.

"They were tireless. They never stopped working," she said.

The workers also took note of a semi-inground swimming pool surrounded by a large deck. The pool and deck area is a focal point for the family because getting away from home is difficult and the water is therapeutic for her nephew, Serrano said. But the deck had become ragged with boards that needed nailing down.

"They noticed that and they offered," she said.

As Rebuilding Together's full-time staff person, Stern kept in contact with Serrano in making plans for the repairs. Serrano said she was consulted on everything - from the colors she wanted to the time schedule for doing the repairs. On the day of her son's 8th birthday, Stern even showed up that morning with a large tray of cupcakes, Serrano said.

"She's wonderful," Serrano said. "I felt ... she really cared."

Stern said she's been getting other experience with home repairs in New Orleans. Her first week with AmeriCorps was spent training and doing relief work in that Hurricane Katrina-ravished city. Stern will return there for a week in January and a week in May.

"It really is devastating to see how little has been done in three years and how much there is still to do for so many people," Stern said. "The good thing is to see how much volunteer effort is still being put out."

A native of Melrose, Wis., a town of 500 people, Stern said her introduction to community service came in college. She started an outreach project, borrowing on a 10,000 Hours Show youth initiative that began in Iowa, Youth are encouraged to volunteer and rewarded with tickets to a major concert.

"Their ticket is essentially their hours of service," Stern said.

The organizing effort took two years and required raising $40,000 to put on the concert, she said.

Stern, a communications and sociology major, also went on service trips during the college's winter and spring breaks.

"Particularly, I worked with the homeless population," she said. "That was eye-opening and life-changing."

With that background behind her, Stern said she is impressed with Aurora's efforts to eliminate homelessness.

"I think Aurora is doing amazing," she said.

Stern, who has an office in the Aurora Community Center, has had an opportunity to meet with city officials and civic-minded people since starting her position with AmeriCorps.

Patrick Rogers, vice president of Rebuilding Together Aurora, said Stern has been able to make contacts that the all-volunteer organization found difficult to do before.

"She's done a great job in following through on that in a short amount of time," he said. "We're finding she's probably able to do even more than we hoped."

Rebuilding Together Aurora, which repaired 26 homes on a $120,0000 budget last year, has set a goal to repair at least 40 homes on a $220,000 budget for the coming year, Stern said. About $3,000 to $4,000 normally is spent on each home, not counting in-kind contributions and volunteer labor, she said.

Rogers said Rebuilding Together is so pleased with how Stern is helping it move forward, it already has applied to hire another AmeriCorps member next year.

Stern said her own ultimate career plans are to work in a higher education community service learning program. But for the coming months, she focusing on Aurora.

"I really would like to just see Rebuilding Together have a face in the community," she said.

If you go

What: Rebuilding Together Aurora open house

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 15

Where: Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place

Qualifications: Aurora resident, own and live in home, meet Chicago HUD low-income requirements

What to bring: Proof of homeownership, insurance and all forms of income

Info: Emily Stern at (630) 585-7510 or rtaurora@gmail.com