Residents Experience Xerscaping

Residents throughout the Black Hills had the opportunity to gain knowledge from Rapid City Master Gardener Cheri Schmidt on the subject of Xeriscaping. Thursday, May 30^th, 36 attendees learned about different types of Xeriscaping plants, water efficient grasses, and techniques to create your own personalized lawn and garden.

Master Gardener, Cheri Schmidt, explained that Xeriscaping can reduce water consumption and landscaping time. Xerscaping is water-efficient landscaping.   On average, grass yards use 1 ½ inches of water a week. Xerscaping can reduce water consumption and residents bills from 20% to 80%.

The first step in beginning you gardening journey is to imagine what you want.  Cheri suggested that you map out your yard.  By determining sections of the yard that are most utilized and for what purpose. This will help you determine what to plant and where to plant it.  “Your yard is a natural place to express your artistic side, create and environment that you will enjoy. Gardens serve no other purpose but to feed one’s soul”, Cheri stated.   

      

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources organizes monthly post purchases workshops to educate homeowners on small and large home repairs and other necessary skills needed when maintaining your home. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources would like to thank all of the attendees that attended the workshop, Cheri for preceding her knowledge and West River Electric for allowing us to utilize their office space. If you would like more information on future NeighborWorks® post purchase workshops or classes you can contact Stephany or Sharon at 605-578-1401 or visit the web at www.neighborworksdhr.org

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources Announces Events Planned for NeighborWorks® Week

June 3^rd-9^th, 2012- NeighborWorks® Week is sponsored by NeighborWorks® America and its network of local organizations who mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness. They rehab and repair homes, paint and landscape properties, conduct neighborhood tours, recognize successful partnerships, and host events that educate, train and inform.

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources has organized a two weeks full of community events for NeighborWorks® Week 2012.  This year NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources will celebrate their 17th Annual Paint the Town. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources and volunteers will be painting seven homes throughout Western South Dakota.  Homes are located in Deadwood, Lead, Central City, Sturgis, Spearfish, Rapid City, Box Elder, and Edgemont.  NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources has organized volunteers from local organizations throughout Western South Dakota to provide a fresh coat of paint for homes that were in need.  Painting will take place throughout the week of June 

3^rd and run through June 16^th.  Paint the Town is sponsored by South Dakota Housing Development Authority “Paint South Dakota”, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources, and NeighborWorks® America

In addition, to Paint the Town, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources will embark on their first annual Revive Five: five homes in a neighborhood radius will be receiving a home rehab makeover.  NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources and volunteers have selected five homes throughout the College Park Neighborhood in Rapid City that are in need of repairs. These five homes will be painted, yards cleaned and other exterior work accomplished by volunteers through local partnerships. Volunteers will begin repairing homes during Revive Five on Saturday June 1^st, 2012.

Tuesday, June 5^th ,  NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources will celebrate their 10^th Annual Trolley on The Trail Event. The combined effort consists of the use of the trail from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, use of a Trolley from the City of Deadwood and reservations taken by NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources.  The Trolley on the Trail is a combined endeavor to give disabled or handicapped people access to the Mickelson Trail. Additional Trolley on the Trail dates take place on July 3^rd, and September 4^th.  Thanks to sponsorships with local businesses, this ride is provided free of charge.

Thursday, June 7^th ,  NeighborWorks® America Management Consultant, Steve Hermes, will present the Bill Kitchen Award to the NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources’ staff and board members at 12pm in the NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources office located in Deadwood at 795 Main Street. The Bill Kitchen Award is presented annually to the organization in the 13-state Midwest Region that presents the best NeighborWorks® Week plan.

Saturday, June 9^th, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources and the Central City Neighborhood Council will host the 

5^th annual “Community Plant Exchange” at the Pumphouse Café and Lattes Shop. Attendees will have the opportunity to exchange extra plant items with their neighbors.   New and experienced gardeners are welcomed and encouraged to join in on this great community event.  Attendees are not required to bring exchange items to participate. The Plant Exchange will also be hosting a Food Drive for the Lord’s Cupboard in Lead.  

Volunteers paint a community shed during
NeighborWorks Week in 2009. 

NeighborWorks® Week activities will continue throughout the month of June. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources, along with many other local organizations are sponsoring the 2^nd Annual Open Summer Market “Lead Live”.  Lead Live will take place the 2^nd Tuesday’s of the Summer Months from 5:30pm-8:30pm.  June 12^th will be the kick off of this great community event.

On Saturday, June 16^th, the annual Treasures, Trash & Cash tri-city rummage sale will be held the morning.  Locations will be published in the Black Hills Pioneer the week prior to the event.  Box Elder will also be hosting a Treasures, Trash, and Cash throughout the Cardinal Heights Neighborhood

Each NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources event engages residents to be participating in community events and provides residents the chance to volunteer and beautify our community.

About NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources: NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private nonprofit organization that has been assisting in providing decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods for twenty years.  NeighborWorks® has helped more than 900 families realize their dream of homeownership. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources provides decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods throughout the Western South Dakota communities.  For more information on NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources or NeighborWorks® Week, contact Stephany at 605-578-1401 or visit us on the web at www.NeighborWorks®dhr.org

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources Receives $5,000 Bill Kitchen Award from NeighborWorks® America

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources is excited to announce that they were selected to receive a NeighborWorks® America District Grant for National NeighborWorks® Week, June 3rd-9th, 2012. The grant of $5,000 is in memory of Bill Kitchen, a former employee of NeighborWorks® America in Kansas City, MO.  Bill was a champion of NeighborWorks® Week.  NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is able to sponsor a number of activities during NeighborWorks® Week thanks to this grant and their many other partners.

“The Bill Kitchen Award is presented annually to the organization in the 13-state Midwest Region that presents the best NeighborWorks Week plan. We were quite impressed with the scope and reach of their plan and how well it suits the needs of the community.  NeighborWorks® Week, for NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources, is a celebration and a showcase of the good work they do year ‘round.” says NeighborWorks® America Management Consultant Steve Hermes. Hermes will present the Bill Kitchen Award to the NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources’ staff and board members on June 7th at 12pm in the NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources office located in Deadwood at 795 Main Street. Media presence is invited and requested to attend. 

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources has several events scheduled during NeighborWorks Week including: Paint the Town, Community Plant Exchange, Revive Five, Trolley on the Trail, Treasures, Trash and Cash, and Lead Live. Each event engages residents to be a part of their communities.

About NeighborWorks America: NeighborWorks® America creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks® America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.

About NeighborWorks Week: NeighborWorks® Week is sponsored by NeighborWorks America and its network of local organizations mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness. They rehab and repair homes, paint and landscape properties, conduct neighborhood tours, recognize successful partnerships, and host events that educate, train and inform.

About NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources: NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private nonprofit organization that has been assisting in providing decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods for twenty years.  NeighborWorks® has helped more than 900 families realize their dream of homeownership. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources provides decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods throughout the Western South Dakota communities.  For more information on NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources or NeighborWorks® Week, contact Stephany at 605-578-1401 or visit us on the web at www.neighborworksdhr.org

Area volunteers pitch in

to paint local homes

Volunteers with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources are picking up paint brushes and setting aside free time to help area residents maintain the value and livability of their homes.

Using primer and paint donated by South Dakota Housing Development Authority, volunteers are repainting homes that belong to people who are physically or financially unable to handle the project themselves. The NeighborWorks groups are painting two houses in Rapid City and one each in Edgemont, Sturgis, Box Elder, Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead and Central City.

The Black Hills project is part of the 15th annual Paint-South Dakota, a statewide program sponsored by SDHDA to help homeowners in need, to revitalize their homes and help maintain the quality of life in their communities. In all, 14 organizations are painting 22 houses in 20 South Dakota towns, including Roslyn, Centerville, Hoven, Beresford, Doland, Watertown, Lennox, Frankfort, Tripp, Parkston, Redfield, Reliance Elder and Winner. 

Just a few of the groups volunteering with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources are  from Northern Hills Federal Credit Union, First Interstate Bank, Bank West, Ketel Thortenson, TDG Communications, Ellsworth AF, Rapid City Police Dept.,  and local resident volunteers for all the towns involved.  “Partnerships and volunteers are what make Paint the Town such a successful event.  People and organizations giving back to the community is what this is all about,” stated Sharon Martinisko, NWDHR Community Outreach and Education Coordinator.  “None of this would happen without all the community support!”

Under the program, homes must be single-family, owner-occupied dwellings in need of fresh exterior paint. 

"For homeowners, a new coat of paint means a great deal. It protects the house from weather, maintains its appearance and improves the quality of their neighborhood. However, this can be tough to do if you are disabled or on a fixed income," said Mark Lauseng, Executive Director of SDHDA. "Paint-South Dakota is a great way for these residents to stay in their homes and remain independent. We applaud the volunteers who donate their time to help make sure this happens."

College Park Block Club Receives Donation

 Local couple Dan and Madonna Goodart donated a garden shed to the Lemmon Avenue Community Garden on May 23^rd, 2012.  The shed will be used to store community garden tools and supplies.  Anytime Towing donated part of their service’s to deliver the shed to the community garden.  Residents of the College Park Block Club and volunteers from the Rapid City Police Department spent the afternoon placing the shed at its’ new home and organized all of the community garden tools. 

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources and the residents of the College Park Block Club would like to thank Dan and Madonna Goodart for donating the garden shed and Anytime Towing for donating a portion of their time to bring the community shed into the neighborhood.  

Box Elder Job Corp Students Volunteer at Local Non-Profit

Box Elder Job Corp Students Planting at Hills Apartment Complex. 

April 30, 2012- Eight Box Elder Job Corp Students donated their time to plant over 200 plants and flowers at the Hills Apartment complex to alleviate erosion issues.  The Hills Apartments are income based and operated by local non-profit and housing agency, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources. 

Box Elder Job Corps General Education Director, Barb Hallberg, stated that the students have a great time putting their skills to use. “ Our students really embrace volunteer work.  They enjoy giving back and helping others.  We never lack volunteers when there is a community project that needs volunteers.”

Many of the students had never gardened before; they all enjoyed getting their hands dirty and learning about different types of plants.

Morgan Nadeau works the soil for the garden bed. 

Morgan Nadeau was one of the students that donated her time.  She has been a part of the Box Elder Job Corp program for a month.  She states that she really enjoys volunteering.  “It is fun to volunteer, we also get to know everyone better.”  Morgan said that this was her effort to participate in Arbor Day.  “I have always wanted to plant a tree for Arbor Day, and today is my Earth Day celebration!”

Job Corps students have been volunteering in NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources community outreach programs for several years.  The Box Elder Job Corp students have catered specialty events, participated in citywide clean ups, built garden beds for College Park Community Garden (formally Lemmon Avenue Community Garden), and have painted a home during “Paint the Town” for 17 years. 

 NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources Home Rehab Specialist, Robert Thorp, stated, “The students really work hard, we appreciate all of their efforts and time they donate. The partnership between the Box Elder Job Corp and NeighborWorks® has allowed the students to get hands on experience, and has provided NeighborWorks® with great volunteers for our community events.”

About Box Elder Job Corp: The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service operates the Boxleder Job Corps. It is part of the nationally funded department of labor scholarship for underprivileged youth ages 16 – 24.  The Center’s goal is to teach eligible young people job skills and help place them in related jobs and/or help further their education. Career training offered at the center includes business technology, carpentry, culinary arts, certified nurse assistant, electrician, facility maintenance, painting, networking and computer technology, union bricklaying, and welding. The center relies on scholarships making it so there is no cost for students or families who are interested. To enroll at Boxelder Job Corps, contact an admissions counselor at (800) 733-5627.

About NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources:

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private non-profit organization that has been assisting in providing decent, safe and affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods for twenty years.  NeighborWorks® helps families and individuals Buy, Fix, and Keep their homes.  For more information on NeighborWorks programs contact Stephany at 605-578-1401