Tis The Season To Be Thankful

Cox Communications team members working hard on a project on Halstead Avenue.

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Well it is that time of year again. We are buttoning up our homes for the blustery and cold fall and winter seasons. People are getting ready to hibernate and beginning to scribble down the to-do list for spring and summer. I have to say that I am humbled and thankful that I work with an organization that has so many supporters and volunteers.

This is my favorite time of year. I get to sit down and take a moment and really think about all of the great things that have been accomplished this year. The Housing Outreach Program sees its highest participation between April and October. During that time we are all working our tails off tackling much needed exterior home improvements either through our volunteers or our partnership with the City of Lakewood Department of Community Development, Court referrals or Building Department referrals.

This repair season has been the busiest season for the program since its inception in 2009. We were able to assist 22 low-moderate income households with 39 work visits to those homes. We worked with 380 volunteers who donated over 1,671 hours of their time. The 39 work visits generated over $43,000 worth of improvements throughout the community. The work visits focused on essential health and safety repairs as well as code compliance issues. Some of the projects took a dedicated weekend day for six weeks, while others were projects that were done in a day. Our volunteer projects are always the highlight of our season. They bring people together to have fun and make a difference, which is a win-win for all involved.

The Paint Lakewood Program also hit a very high achievement this season. We completed 18 exterior paint projects, last year 13 projects. This was mostly due to the fact that we were given approval from the City of Lakewood, Citizens Advisory Committee to offer increased grants that included paying for labor. In the past, the program was only able to pay for materials, but as most of us know, painting a Lakewood home is a very labor intensive and costly task. The program is designed to make the project more affordable so that low-moderate income folks are able to maintain the exterior of their home. This year was a fantastic and successful unveiling of the improved program.
 

As I mentioned, the Housing Outreach Program would not be a success if were not for our volunteers. We have a small yet mighty staff, but it is because of volunteers that we are able to fulfill our mission of fostering and sustaining vibrant neighborhoods. We are making a difference one home at a time.

Volunteers:

Alex Johnson, Dana Paul, Dan Folino, Carl Orban, Cox Communications, Lakewood Congregational Church, Lakewood New Life Church, Chris Parkman, Cub Scout Troop 68, Faith Lakewood, Lakewood United Methodist Church, Citizens Bank, Dan Bosworth, Great Lakes Brewing Company, James Gibson, LakewoodAlive Board of Directors, Matt Bixenstine, Mike Pandoli, St. Edward High School, Alumni & Family, Cindy Marx, St. Luke Church, Textbook Painting, Roger Urbanek, Tom Ostromek, The Dependable Painting Company and Judge Patrick Carroll.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped LakewoodAlive make a difference in our community. I would also like to thank Mark McNamara and Lisa LaRochelle, LakewoodAlive staff members who really went above and beyond to make the program a success.

I wish the happiest of holidays to you and yours and look forward to working with everyone again in the spring.