Habitat helps low-income families preserve homes during A Brush With Kindness Week
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley is one of nearly 40 Habitat affiliates partnering with Valspar, Habitat's national paint partner, and Wells Fargo, to launch A Brush with Kindness Week, Sept. 19-26.
A Brush With Kindness Week is a nationwide effort to transform neighborhoods by painting, providing minor exterior home repairs, landscaping and cleaning up yards in partnership with more than 130 low-income homeowners, many of whom are elderly or have a disability.
Locally, more than 50 Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley volunteers from CDK Global, Randstad Technologies, Harper College Honors Program, and Wells Fargo will work on three projects in the Old Oaks Estates mobile home community of Elgin.
"Our affiliate has conducted several A Brush With Kindness projects over the past few years in this community, and it is a testament to our friendly and cooperative relationship between homeowners, Valspar, Zeman Homes Management, and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley," said Jerry Pietryla, Critical Home Repair Coordinator.
Bud Zeman, a hard working family man, was a bricklayer by trade who saw an opportunity to bring affordable, quality-built manufactured-housing to the Chicago area real estate market more than 40 years ago. Working nights and weekends, Bud acquired his first community, Old Oaks Estates in Elgin, and with its tremendous success, Zeman Homes & Neighborhoods was born.
Valspar, lead sponsor of A Brush with Kindness Week, is also the founding partner of Habitat's home preservation services which help low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes. Habitat uses volunteers, donated materials and no-profit loans to make the repairs affordable, helping low-income homeowners continue to live independently and securely in their homes. Habitat has served nearly 13,000 low-income families through exterior home preservation services between 2008 and 2014.
"Habitat for Humanity's home preservation work focuses on affordable housing in existing communities and often helps homeowners continue to live independently and securely in their homes," said Jonathan T.M. Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "We are grateful for the commitments of the volunteers and sponsors partnering with low-income families across the country."
Habitat for Humanity would like to thank Valspar and Wells Fargo, for their help in making A Brush with Kindness Week possible.
For information on A Brush with Kindness Week, contact Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley at (847) 836-1432.
About Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley is one of eight Habitat affiliates in the Chicago area. Founded in 1990, Northern Fox Valley currently focuses its efforts on transforming existing foreclosed and abandoned houses that are devaluing our neighborhoods into safe, decent, and affordable homes for partner families in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. Northern Fox Valley also helps approximately 30 homeowners annually through the "A Brush With Kindness" exterior home repair program, and has kicked off a Critical Home Repair program in 2015 as well. Now entering a milestone 25th year, Northern Fox Valley has completed 96 new construction and rehabilitation projects in Carpentersville, Elgin, St. Charles, and the surrounding area, 43 of which have been funded through proceeds from ReStore Elgin. For more details about Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley projects and programs, please call (847) 836-1432 or visit habitatnfv.org. For information about ReStore Elgin, please call (847) 742-9905 or visit restorelgin.org.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a path out of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 5 million people through home construction, rehabilitation and repairs and by increasing access to improved shelter through products and services since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and offers a variety of housing support services that enable families with limited means to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit habitat.org.
About Valspar
Valspar is Habitat's national paint partner and was the founding partner of Habitat's home preservations effort in the mid-1980s. The company provided Habitat affiliates with 2.2 million gallons of paint through 2014, bringing total cash and paint donations to more than $60 million since 2002.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo has donated more than $40 million to Habitat for Humanity International and affiliates combined in the past five years through the company's Wells Fargo Housing Foundation commitment to support affordable and sustainable housing. Among the largest provider of volunteers to Habitat for Humanity, since 1993, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has mobilized its team members to build and rehabilitate 5,500 homes and counting.