Matthew Manning, HomeOwnership Center Director, AHEAD, Inc.

Deborah White, Executive Director, Mid Central Community Action
 
Challenge: In Bloomington, Illinois, West Bloomington lags economically. After years of disinvestment, the area suffers from complications related to housing, education, unemployment, crime and overall neighborhood quality. 

 

Young talent is needed to address community development challenges for the next generation. The West Virginia Housing Internship Program at CommunityWorks of West Virginia (CWWV) focuses on building that leadership pipeline.

In May of 1997, NeighborWorks Great Falls approached local school district officials with an idea for a construction-skills training opportunity for high school students. The thought was to build homes using the students from the advanced building trades classes, starting in the fall of 1998 to provide plenty of time for planning.

Students educate CommonBond

East High in Des Moines is the largest school in Iowa, with 2,230 students. It is home to some of the state’s finest athletes, musicians, scholars and volunteers. In addition to learning algebra and literature, some students also are learning how to give back to their community through volunteering.

On June 4 and 5, Richland Center, WI, will host the third annual Ocoochapalooza, a downtown neighborhood celebration featuring free live music, arts-and-crafts booths, business specials, and fames such as Human Foosball and Family Feud. The event was first organized  by NeighborWorks member Neighborhood Housing Services of Southwest