REVIVE FIVE IS REVIVING RAPID CITY COMMUNITY

The first week of June kicked off NeighborWorks® Week.   Volunteers throughout the Northern Hills communities scraped and painted homes, cleaned up neighborhoods, swapped plants, and engaged in multiple community activities.  This year also included Revive Five. 

Revive Five was the result of five Western South Dakota residents attending the NeighborWorks® America Community Leadership Institute (CLI). The Community Leadership Institute is an invitation-only, three-day training event that aims to strengthen the voices and skills of community, resident and volunteer leaders. The CLI is a vehicle for learning and a forum for discussing community issues and sharing best practices and solutions to the problems faced by low- to moderate-income residents. Each CLI has a general theme determined by a team of resident coordinators. At the end of every CLI, each participating team creates an action plan so they can effectively bring the knowledge they gained at the CLI back to their communities and use it to affect positive change.  Revive Five was the challenge that the attendees created to implement in their communities. 

The Challenge of Revive Five is to impact five homes within visible sight of each another, utilizing intergenerational partnerships, to make a positive visible impact on the neighborhood and community.   The end result will improve the appearance of five homes, increase neighborhood pride and bring the community together. 

NeighborWorks® long-term goal is to implement Revive Five in five communities within in the next five years, but for now the project has begun with five homes in Rapid City. Volunteers from the Rapid City Police Department assisted in the selection process of determining what homes could utilize this service.  Five homes throughout the College Park neighborhood were selected. 

Wedsenday, June 20^th, Sargent Chris DeGroote, Senior Officer Ron Terviel, Lemmon Avenue Block Club President John Hagg, and 16-year-old Fernando Suliveres gathered at Rose Suliveres home on Lemmon Avenue.  The team of volunteers began replacing and building new steps for her home.  Rose stated that she was very thankful for Revive Five and NeighborWorks®. “ Without this program I would not have been able to do these repairs.” Rose stated.   Rose’s home is greatly in need of new stucco, a fresh coat of paint, and new steps. “ I have fallen down those steps multiple times, one time I had to crawl inside before I could pull myself back up. Having new steps will make my home much more safe.” Rose stated.

Volunteers from Bank West, Rapid City Police Department, Ketel Thorstensen, Ellsworth Pol Kats  & College Park Block  finished one Revive Five home on Blain Avenue, by painting the home and removing a fence.  Professional contractors will complete rehab on the three of the five homes throughout the College Park Neighborhood, and a professional tree trimmer will improve the landscaped one of the five homes.  NeighborWorks America, NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources, and South Dakota Housing Development Authority provide funding for Revive Five.

Although Revive Five was designed to improve five homes in one neighborhood, NeighborWorks® offers home rehab assistance for homeowners throughout Western South Dakota. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources is a private, non-profit organization that works to assist families with their dream of homeownership and revitalize communities to improve the quality of life. Through partnerships with NeighborWorks America, South Dakota Housing Development Authority and USDA Rural Development, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources receives funding to provide rehab assistance to low to moderate-income families. The rehab program offers assistance and a variety of programs for homeowners.

For more information on the Home Rehab Assistance, Revive Five or any other programs that NeighborWorks Dakota Resources, offers please contact Stephany at 605-578-1401 or visit us on the web at www.neighborworksdhr.org