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!

Before Paint Comes Prep

After our first official Prep the Town day, we caught up with some volunteers to find out how they heard about Paint the Town and their overall experience.

Aaron heard about Paint the Town through his Fifth Third Networking group and this was his first Give Back Cincinnati event. He is not new to the volunteer circuit by any means, as he has spent the past year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. Prep the Town was just another opportunity for Aaron to get involved with the community and use his hands to help others. After the scraping and priming was done Aaron quoted, “Everyone was a little worn out but had a good time. We had some hard working people in our group and met some great people at the after party”.

Joel has been a part of other Give Back Cincinnati events in the past but this is his first year with Paint the Town. When asked the reason Joel was inspired to get involved with Paint the Town, he responded, “I used to travel a lot for work, and never really felt a connection. Once I had more time and was able to start volunteering, I felt more at home. I like the atmosphere at the other Give Back Cincinnati events and I knew this would be a good time”. Beyond Paint the Town, Joel has also participated in the Back to School day at Finneytown High and assisted with opening day at Fountain Square. Joel did not arrive with a team initially as do many Give Back volunteers and their team quickly got acquainted on the ride over to the house in addition to the happy hour following all the hard work. Unfortunately, Joel will not be able to join us for the Paint the Town event but he was left with a job well done helping to prepare for the big day. “It was a great feeling to put in a hard day’s work and see the progress we made. The house is going to look great with a new paint job,” Joel commented.

Finally, we checked in with a Paint the Town veteran who felt for sure it would rain for the big day – we hope he is wrong! Michael saw a story for Paint the Town a few years ago and he has been hooked ever since. He was inspired to get involved with a fun, community event and was able to interact with young, enthusiastic volunteers. Michael will be attending Paint the Town, but we have our fingers crossed that the rain will hold off and turn his bad luck around.

All 3 volunteers had great interactions with their team leads and homeowners. A few homeowners even got to work and pitched in on the priming. We look forward to Paint the Town on June 11 to see the transformation of all these homes!

Beyond a Coat of Paint

Paint the Town is more than just a coat of paint. It is an opportunity for people in our community to interact with one another and make a difference not only in the lives of the participants but also throughout the neighborhoods.

We tracked down a couple that had their home and hearts touched by Paint the Town last year to ask what advice they would give someone considering participating; their response, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!” Terry and Marlene Davis found out about Paint the Town through a flyer in their mailbox. The application process was simple and straightforward followed by an interview that helped to answer all their questions.

Terry and Marlene had great experiences with the team leads and the rest of the crew all the way up to the big day. Terry commented, “We laughed a lot while painting the house. It was also a reminder of the fearlessness of youth after watching some of the volunteers on the roof and on the ladders!”

When asked if there was anything that they would change about their experience, their only response was the rain! Unfortunately, some things such as mother nature are out of our control but there was nothing negative Terry and Marlene could say about their overall experience with the Paint the Town volunteers.

When reflecting back on the day and the process of transforming their home, Terry recalled, “After the brushes were down and the house was complete, we were so proud of how our house looked. We were very tired but delighted in the job well done. It’s nice to know that the youth are giving back not only to the community, but they are also volunteering for projects around the globe.”

Terry and Marlene walked away with more than a fresh coat of paint that day. They were able to rejuvenate their home but also had memories that would stay with them forever.

Avondale Community Council Thank You Letter – PTT 2010

Dear Paint The Town,

I would like to express our sincere thanks to you for choosing Avondale for the 2010 Paint the Town project.  In spite of the challenges of the weather and all the ladders needed, the planning and hard work achieved the goal, the houses look wonderful and really enhance the neighborhood streets!

The project was a huge success on many levels.  We have been able to engage the residents who were beneficiaries of the project to be involved in other Avondale activies such as joining the Avondale Community Council and surrounding neighbors are making curb appeal improvements to their homes.

We are grateful for the many volunteers who came out to help our community.  It takes special people to give back sharing their time, talent and resources to help others.  Again thank you for all you and Give Back Cincinnati do for the City.  We look forward to working with you on future projects.

Sincerely,

Patricia Milton
President
Avondale Community Council

Carla Butler
Avondale Community Organizer

cc:  Avondale Community Council Trustees

Bellevue, KY (One of our sites for PTT 2011)

Bellevue was named for the plantation of Gen. James Taylor Jr., Quartermaster General of the western US Army in the War of 1812. The City was once the eastern part of his plantation. The name Bellevue was taken from the General’s family plantation in Virginia.  Bellevue, or “belle vue,” is French for “beautiful view.” 

Bellevue is on a gentle slope that rises toward the Kentucky Highlands region at the south of the city.  Topographically, Bellevue is on higher ground than its neighboring cities.  When the Ohio River would rise, the homes in Dayton and Newport would flood, whereas the homes in Bellevue (with exception of those closest to the river) would be safe from the flooding.  For this reason Bellevue is not behind a levee, whereas Dayton and Newport are. 

Today, Bellevue is becoming the bedroom community of the Northern Kentucky population boom, while its neighboring cities, Covington and Newport, become the business and entertainment centers.    Between 2005 and 2006, the average residential sale price increased by 89%, which easily beat out every other neighborhood in the Greater Cincinnati area.  

In 2007, Bellevue was listed in Cincinnati Magazine’s list of “10 Great Neighborhoods You Might Want to Take a Look At.”