Building Up Communities Through Service

A "summer of service" initiative has been launched by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in partnership with the White House. The initiative, United We Serve, encourages people to create meaningful change in their communities by engaging in service.

"Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together," President Obama said in a video message announcing the initiative. "I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation. ... We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort."

As part of our participation in this initiative, NeighborWorks America has committed to the following:

• Recruiting 155 employees from across the organization at four hours each to generate 620 hours of service through our employee volunteer service program


• Supporting network organizations in recruiting and deploying volunteers


• Selecting 68 network organizations to have one or more AmeriCorps Vista Volunteers (see related blog post)

Visit serve.gov to learn more about United We Serve. On the site, you can also find volunteer opportunities, register volunteer projects, and share volunteer stories.

Housing Industry Federal Funding Opportunities

Featured now on the nw.org funding opportunities page:

• Green Retrofit Program for Multifamily Housing - now accepting applications on first come first serve basis
• Neighborhood Stabilization Program — Deadline July 17
• Economic Development Administration Grants - Deadline Sept. 30

Learn more about these and other opportunities

Are You Ready for a Lease-Purchase Program?

Lease-Purchase is an increasingly more common neighborhood stabilization approach. A new resource from NeighborWorks America includes a five-point checklist for organizations that are thinking of adopting a lease-purchase program and examples of different program models. The questions posed in this report are meant to help organizations avoid common mistakes in developing a lease-purchase program. Download the report, Are You Ready for a Lease-Purchase Program?

At Risk Teens Impacted by Community Building

KLS.com in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently reported on a NeighborWorks Salt Lake program called YouthWorks that offers teens at risk a paycheck, a chance to grow personally, and help improve their neighborhood. YouthWorks follows a gang intervention model that creates opportunities and builds stronger neighborhoods.

The KLS.com report focused on a work crew of 10 teens that are putting the finishing touches on a home that was deteriorating and vacant. The young men in YouthWorks had gutted it and rebuilt it, to put it on the market.

View video and read the article.

HUD Honors NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently presented NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice with an award recognizing her accomplishments in foreclosure prevention and strengthening homeownership programs. HUD's Lyle Konkol presented the award to Rice, and said she was a "dynamic leader at the helm" of NeighborWorks Great Falls.

NeighborWorks America Chief Operating Officer Eileen Fitzgerald has said this about Sheila: “She is a true champion of the brand, 'NeighborWorks.' She is always looking for ways to raise the visibility of the brand. She has been instrumental in leading the way to get NeighborWorks organizations to think about new ways to approach service delivery. Where some folks might see a problem or a challenge, Sheila thinks creatively about how to achieve impact and develops strategic solutions that turn a challenge into an opportunity."