Register Now to Prep the Town

Join us to prepare approximately 30 houses for Paint the Town! We’ll gather in Norwood to sand, scrape and power wash homes that will be painted during this year’s Paint the Town effort. We’ll provide the breakfast, lunch and after party… you just show up with a willingness to help! Click here to register!

Applications Are Now Available for Paint the Town 2013

Applications are now available for Paint the Town 2013, which will take place in Norwood on June 8, 2013. Applications are available in-person at Norwood City Hall, local businesses and churches.

Now in its twelfth year, Paint the Town has painted more than 350 houses in the communities of East End, Price Hill (twice), Northside, Madisonville, Hartwell/Carthage, College Hill, Cheviot, Avondale and Evanston in Ohio, and Covington, Bellevue and Dayton in Kentucky. Neighborhoods are chosen through a competitive process according to current needs.

For more information, please continue browsing the PTT website or keep up with the event on Twitter and Facebook.

“It Looks Like A New House”

Over the years, Paint the Town recipient, Jim Frazier has given much of his time to improving and saving lives in his own community and abroad. With most of his career dedicated to serving Cheviot, it is only fitting that volunteers could serve Frazier this time.

Frazier was born in Cincinnati and as a child moved to Beavercreek, Ohio, where he graduated High School. He eventually made his way back to the Tristate area to attend fire school and receive advanced EMS training. After completing his training, he served on the Cheviot Fire Department and Life Squad for 12 years, dedicating his time to protecting the citizens of Cheviot.

Not only has Frazier worked in this capacity in his own community, but as an advanced EMT, Frazier utilized his skillsand knowledge to treat those who are less fortunate across the globe. For over 10 years, he and his wife, Sue made regular medical missions to southern India where they stayed for a few weeks at a time, treating everything from the common cold to leprosy.

“We worked in medical camps treating anywhere from 300 to 500 people a day. Some of these people had never seen a doctor in their lives and lived in mud huts and shanties. It was particularly rewarding to be able to help treat those who were stricken with leprosy, because in that culture they are considered outcasts. If one member of the family has it, the whole family is cast out,” said Frazier.

He hopes to be able to return.

Frazier now works in the public works/maintenance department doing many of the essential jobs that keep Cheviot running smoothly. He does everything from street maintenance to helping care for the schools to maintaining and preserving the city’s parks.

Frazier learned about Paint the Town through a flyer on one of the city billboards. After speaking with a city safety director, he decided to apply and was accepted to be included in the program.

Frazier’s home was just one of 40 in the Cheviot community that received a few fresh coats of paint during this year’s successful Paint the Town event on June 9, 2012.

“The volunteers that where here on Saturday were a great bunch of people! Sue and I are very happy with the job that was done. It looks like a new house,” said Frazier. “I think it made a very good impact on Cheviot. It made a lot of people happy to see so many helping others. I think the Paint the Town program is a great program, and I have heard others saying because of this, they want to get involved next year. What a great way to give back to the community. Sue and I are very grateful and we want to thank everyone for a job well done!”

For more information on Give Back Cincinnati, and to stay up-to-date on everything the organization is up to, please visit www.givebackcincinnati.org.

Homeowner Profile: Arnice Smith, Crusader for Literacy

Not only is Paint the Town recipient ArniceSmith an accomplished librarian with a career spanningover 30 years, she’s overcome a great deal of adversity and made history by dedicating her career to children’s literacy.

Smith grew up on the west side of Cincinnati in a family of seven. Throughout her childhood, the family was very poor and often had difficulty making ends meet. Smith’s father was a construction worker and did not always have steady work, especially during the colder months. And at times the family encountered discrimination, making it difficult to get any form of assistance. Despite her family’s hard work ethic and determination, they were evicted several times throughout Smith’s childhood, and for a period of time, she and her family were even homeless.

“I’m not ashamed of anything I went through. It made me who I am today. I come from good stock. My family is built on tenacity and perseverance,” said Smith.

Smith was motivated to become a librarian and educate children ultimately because of the difficulty she faced as a child. She didn’t learn to read until she was in fourth grade because of her astigmatism.

Smith’s journey from book shelver to head librarian was not an easy one. She began attending college at the University of Cincinnati, but was forced to drop out after a year and a half because she no longer had the money to attend. She applied and was hired to work part-time at one of Cincinnati Public Library’s branches.  Over the next 10 years, Smith raised two sons all while working at the library and finishing her bachelor’sand master’s degree, taking the bus to school and work, and to drop her kids off at daycare when they were little.

“It was difficult and there were times when I was tired, but two people depended on me and I was determined to never let my children live as I did as a kid,” said Smith.

After earning her master’s and serving as a children’s librarian for several years, Smith is now the branch manager at the College Hill branch of Cincinnati Public Library, a position she has held for the past several years. She’s earned two master’s degrees and has worked tirelessly dedicating her career to children’s literacy. She works several non-profit organizations, volunteering much of her free time tutoring children and teaching them to read. She’s volunteered for several years with the Whiz Kids, a literacy-based, one-to-one tutoring and mentoring program of City Gospel Mission. Smith also started a book club for 8-12 year old girls, and recently helped win a grant through Altrusa for the Pleasant Hill Academy library, so they could upgrade their computer system and purchase new books.

To Smith, literacy is the most valuable part of a child’s education. She is adamant about children not going hungry or becoming homeless. She noted, “You cannot put a price on helping kids to read. I would do anything to help my kids. You have to be literate to be successful.”

Smith’s efforts and passion for instilling the love of reading in children have not gone unnoticed. In 2005, she was named as one of the New York Times’ Librarians of the Year, the first African American Ohioan to receive the honor. And in 2007, she was inducted into the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as an Everyday Hero.

“Everything happens for a reason for us to get where we are and to where we are and going,” she explained.

Although Smith will soon retire from the library, she has no plans to slow down. She is currently working on a third master’s degree, this time in education, and plans to become an elementary school teacher.

Smith lives with her two sons and her brother, a veteran who is currently looking for work.

She knew that she couldn’t afford any sort of home renovation, but she didn’t think she would qualify for a program like Paint the Town. One Sunday while she was attending church, one of the area leads stopped by and dropped off an application, and she decided to go ahead and apply. When she found out she would be one of this year’s Paint the Town Recipients, she was thrilled.

“I am excited, thankful and humbled by this experience. This is a blessing, they even let me choose the color of paint, and at no cost to me. It makes me feel overwhelmed. I’ve never been given anything. This was just awesome. I am ecstatic, words can’t express it. It’s an awesome opportunity.”

Smith’s home is just one of 40 in the Cheviot community that will be painted during this year’s Paint the Town event on June 9. If you are interested in assisting, please click here to register.

Paint the Town is Right Around the Corner!

Cheviot Mayor Samuel D. Keller previously volunteered with Paint the Town, so when the city was chosen as the site of the 11^th annual event, he was quick to embrace it.  The area has fallen on hard times recently, due to the relocation of several large job providers, and leaders have been eager to work with organizations that can help uplift the community.

“Cheviot is one square mile of nothing but fantastic opportunities to make an impact,” said Lindsay Maurer, Paint the Town Coordinator.  “Many homes are a good fit for the project, and as we wrap up interviews, I am excited to select the homeowners as so many of them appreciated even being considered.”

That’s right—even though Paint the Town isn’t until Saturday, June 9, applications have been accepted and reviewed, homeowner interviews have been conducted, houses have been mapped and pictures have been taken.

“I must say, this year has been great so far,” Maurer said of the progress that has been made.  “Our biggest challenge is always creating awareness of the program in the neighborhood we’ve selected in just two short months.  In most cases, the program is new to the neighborhood and residents have a hard time believing it’s truly a free program.”

Overall, PTT received a total of 112 applications.  About 26 volunteers working in 10 teams spent the month of March interviewing homeowners, who will be notified whether or not they are selected no later than May 1.

“This is when things really pick up,” Maurer said.  Over the next three weeks, the PTT committee will be selecting houses, finalizing the 40 home sponsors and meeting with team leads to assign houses and create painting plans.  From there, corporate team leads will meet with homeowners to select paint colors, and PTT’s long-time partner Sherwin Williams will be venturing out to estimate paint quantities.  The committee will work with Cheviot to determine parking plans, shuttling and more.

“The PTT committee rocks!” Maurer said.  “They are, bar none, the best motivated and most cooperative team of twenty-plus individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

There are more opportunities than ever this year for volunteers to get involved.  Prep day will be May 19, and painting day will be June 9.  Volunteers are needed for more than just painting—there is also a need for people to help with tasks like ladder set-up and delivery on June 8, lunch delivery, sorting supplies, taking pictures, serving food and beverages, clean up and many more.

For those who don’t wish to paint, but would love to volunteer, contact Beth Hoffer at beth454@hotmail.com.  Registration for Paint the Town will be open to the public online on April 15; updates and links to the sign-up will be posted here!