Volunteer Op: Paint-a-thon Sept 7.

To volunteer for the paintathon through Students Helping Soldiers click here.

From the Daily Herald:

The 26th annual Community Paint-A-Thon will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7. This popular event is a collaborative effort with Valspar Coatings, Catholic Charities and HandsOn Suburban Chicago in partnership with Habitat for Humanity's A Brush With Kindness.
Homeowners that are elderly, disabled or financially disadvantaged, who need their houses painted, come from 10 different Northwest suburban townships. Over the last 25 years this event has been held, more than 700 homes have been painted by community members, who volunteer their time.

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Volunteer teams are recruited from businesses, churches, social service and civic groups. Volunteers, who work on teams of 10-25 people, receive the benefit of knowing they have helped others and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from it. As a result, a number of the volunteers have been participating for several years.
Nancy Nordvedt, who has been volunteering with Paint-A-Thon for four years, explains why she continues to participate in the program.
"We have to be there for the people who can't. There's nothing more gratifying than helping others," said Nordvedt.
Local businesses are very supportive of the event and recruit their employees to help. Nokia has been a longtime supporter of the Paint-A-Thon event. Nokia employee and volunteer leader Jeremy Bower said their company engaged about 25 employees last year during this event.
"It's a great experience," said Bower. "The feeling you get afterward is worth the sweat you get in the middle of it."
Annette Sommer, program director at HandsOn Suburban Chicago has been coordinating this event for over 18 years.
"It is extremely heartwarming to see the enthusiasm by all the volunteers while working on the project," said Sommer. "Homeowners are very grateful to the wonderful volunteers who have made such a difference in their lives by improving the beauty of their homes."
If you are interested in volunteering, or donating supplies or funds to support Paint-A-Thon, please contact Annette Sommer at Annette.sommer@volunteerinfo.net.
For over 40 years, HandsOn Suburban Chicago has been inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to volunteer and take action that builds vibrant and prosperous communities. HOSC recruits and refers 10,000 volunteers annually to over 200 member agency nonprofits and schools, and provides other support to local charitable organizations, such as consultations and trainings. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency and part of the national HandsOn Network, HOSC service area includes 44 core communities in the Chicago area and a population of over 1.4 million residents.