Sprucing Up The Neighborhood

From State Farm Times, May 2006

Cleaning up yards, putting on a new coat of paint or fixing windows are all ways in which State Farm® employees and agents participate in the National NeighborWorks® Week. It is celebrated the first full week of June. State Farm agents and employees have participated in NeighborWorks Week since its inception 23 years ago.

“I’ve become involved in NeighborWorks Week because I believe I have a social responsibility to help people in our community,” said Terry Monroe, Staten Island, N.Y. agent. During the week, NeighborWorks organizations across the country mobilize tens of thousands of business people, residents and government officials in a week of neighborhood change and awareness. They rehab and repair homes, paint and landscape properties, conduct neighborhood tours, recognize successful partnerships and host a number of events that educate, train and inform. Thousands of families benefit from the week’s activities.

“NeighborWorks Week is so rewarding because you receive instant gratification from the work you contribute,” said Terry. “It’s extremely fulfilling to see the results of a house fix-up or yard clean-up that you were involved in. The feeling is contagious because other neighbors decide to spruce up their homes, too.”



What is the NeighborWorks Network?

The national NeighborWorks network is an affiliation of more than 240 nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing homeownership, preserving affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods in more than 4,400 communities across the nation. Last year, the NeighborWorks network generated more than $2.9 billion in total direct investment and helped more than 180,000 lowto moderate-income families purchase, improve and maintain their homes. The NeighborWorks network was founded and is supported by Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, now called NeighborWorks America, chartered by Congress in 1978. NeighborWorks America strengthens the network through training, technical assistance and funding.

For more information on how to get involved, contact your local NeighborWorks organization and visit its Web site at www.nw.org.