Ken Simpson, facilities director for Manna, Inc. in Washington, D.C., stabs a bag of mulch with a rake and shakes it out in a line along the bushes growing outside Belgrove Condominiums. "It's about whatever technique you’re not too tired to use," he explains to staff from his own organization and
"It makes a difference," says one of the residents Alvin Deloatche. Deloatche was also recently appointed to serve on the board for Manna as the organization’s board president. At NeighborWorks network organizations, 33% of the board is made up of residents.
"We like to see the improvements from when we first came," says Deloatche, who has been living in his condominium for 12 years. "I came here because I needed an affordable place. But what I wanted was not just a place. I wanted to find a place that was really special place. I accomplished that."Deloatche helped with this week’s mulching project, a part of NeighborWorks Week, joining Manna President & CEO Sasha-Gaye Angus, Chief Operating Officer Edward "Scott" Willis and more. It was one of dozens of events around the country for a week that highlights service, the importance of community, and helping communities harness their power.
The Belgrove Condominiums were originally all rental properties, says Simpson. But in 2010, Manna began a rehab on the property and converted some into homeownership opportunities.
According to Noelle Melton, NeighborWorks America’s director of Homeownership, "Homeownership is still the No. 1 way that the average family is able to build wealth in this country."
Spotlighting a leader in Delaware
Caren Turner wants her name to stand for something. So when Interfaith Community Housing of Delaware asked if they could dedicate a garden in her name during NeighborWorks Week, recognizing the work Turner has done for her Wilmington community, Turner placed the spotlight back on that same community – as she always does. She took the letters of her first name and asked that the sign in the garden contain these words: Community and Residents Empowering Neighborhoods.
Interfaith dedicated the garden this week on a day that was filled with proclamations – two for NeighborWorks America, and three for Turner herself.
Turner has worked at Interfaith for 35 years, engaging with residents on issues like discrimination and community safety. She has provided training and mentoring in the community where she is known as "Mayor of West Center City."An advocate for seniors, Turner has spent time making sure they know their rights and benefits. Her work also addresses discrimination and focuses on equity, creating job opportunities, support for people with disabilities and aging in place.
"Everything about NeighborWorks Week is an opportunity, in the way Ms. Caren sees it," says Catherine Davis, resource development and marketing manager at Interfaith. "It’s always been a platform for the many things she could do to raise
up the residents." "We are small but mighty," is the quote staff at Interfaith attribute to Turner "She is always looking at what we can accomplish, not just as an organization, but the people in the community themselves. She’s always encouraging people to be advocates for the neighborhood and for themselves. Our size really doesn’t matter; we can be unstoppable."
The garden dedication this week – one of several events that the nonprofit held during NeighborWorks Week – honored Turner and received backing from the city, the county and the state.
'Your Day in the Field'
NeighborWorks staff joined organizations at other spots across the country, too. Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP), like Manna, was part of "Your Day in the Field," a where staff took tours of new buildings and helped on the grounds NeighborWorks Week volunteer event for NeighborWorks officers, staff and staff from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Bank, according to Dr. Christie Cade, regional vice president, Southern Region, which hosted the event.
Leaders shares insights into their work and the partnership with the NeighborWorks network to create communities of opportunity through the U.S.Meanwhile, Robert Goldman, president and CEO of Montgomery Housing Partners, shared insights on the value of being a network member and Stephen Glaude, president and CEO for the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, shared insights regarding the challenging housing market in the D.C. metro area and the importance of NeighborWorks America and the network in addressing those needs.
More than 50 volunteers jumped on the bus to visit a recently renovated affordable housing development funded with NeighborWorks America Capital that will be along Metro's new Purple Line. Volunteers continued their day with lunch with business leaders in MHP’s targeted community of Long Branch, Cade shares. "Volunteers spent time touring the community to see other reinvestment impacts and beatification of spaces with art and murals. Other worked alongside MHP staff members to improve the conditions of a pocket park in the Long Branch neighborhood."
