21st Annual Community Paint-a-Thon September 6, 2008

A Paint-A-Thon is a unique community partnership designed to paint the homes owned and occupied by persons with limited financial resources who are either 60 years of age or older or have a permanent disability, and are unable to do the work themselves. The paint project utilizes the support of many community organizations and, most importantly, the time and effort contributed by many volunteers.

The project covers an ten township area - Barrington, Elk Grove, Hanover, Maine, New Trier, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling. Preparation and painting take place in September. Paint-A-Thon date is Saturday, September 6th - alternate "rain" date is September 13th.

Homeowners of single family residences who are financially disadvantaged and who are physically unable to do their homes are eligible. The homes must be owner-occupied and in sufficient condition so that scraping and spot priming are the only preparations needed.

For applications, contact Catholic Charities at 847-253-5500.

A Paint-A-Thon is a major volunteer event. Teams of volunteers are recruited from businesses, churches, social service and civic groups. The Paint-A-Thon management works with team leaders who are trained and assisted to develop self-sufficient teams that perform quality work while experiencing personal satisfaction and enjoyment. All Paint-A-Thon volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. Individual youth volunteers age 14-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Organized youth groups must provide one adult volunteer for every five youth volunteers. Youth volunteers and adults must remain on site at all times. Volunteers also supply their own brushes, scrapers, putty knives, rags and ladders.

All Volunteer Opportunities are filled for 2008 Community Paint-a-thon!

Once houses have been identified, inspected, and the residents qualified, a team of volunteers from the community will be assigned to scrape, prime and paint each house. This includes a team leader and approximately 20 volunteers for each house. A Saturday is designated for painting and all the houses are done on the same day. In all cases, volunteers must visit the homesite during the prior week to do prep work such as scraping peeling paint, caulking, spot priming, etc. On the designated Saturday teams start at 8:00 AM and complete the home in a single day. If for any reason the home is not completely finished on the designated paint day, the team leader is responsible for organizing volunteers from his/her team to complete this project A.S.A.P.

Community partners are recruited from businesses, social service agencies, religious organizations, media, civic groups and municipalities to provide in-kind financial and personnel support. Valspar Coatings acts as the Paint Partner and supplies all the paint and paint caps for the project. In addition, Financial Partners, Media Partners, and Printing Partners contribute to needs ranging from small cash donations to painting supplies such as paint pails, caulk and masking tape.

In many ways, a Paint-A-Thon is like an old-fashioned barn raising. The spirit is still the same...neighbors helping neighbors, people working together to enhance their community. Through in-kind donations and considerable volunteer support, the costs and administrative needs are kept to a minimum. The end result is that the lives of the homeowners, volunteers and supporters have been enriched by this wonderful act of generosity, and the community's appearance is improved.

To volunteer or for additional information, contact:

The Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago
2121 S Goebbert Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4297
Phone: 847-228-1320

Homeowners who wish to apply for this service should contact
Catholic Charities at 847-253-5500.