When Brothers Redevelopment launched a new program painting the homes of neighbors in need, the thought of painting 7,000 homes was a merely a fantasy in founding board member Don Schierling’s mind. “It was a matter of people working together in the development of neighborhoods,” said Shierling as he recalls the start of his journey with Brothers. “And without the volunteers, we couldn’t do it.”
Chad Mitchell, Brothers Redevelopment Board Chair (left), Don Schierling and Jeff Marteniz painted the 7,000th house on July 22.
Brothers hosted its 37th Paint-A-Thon this season and thanks to the tens of thousands of Paint-A-Thon volunteers, 7,000 homes for seniors living on a fixed income and people with disabilities have received fresh coats of paint. All of these projects were made possible by Brothers Redevelopment supporters, staff and volunteers who continue to dedicate their resources, commitment and time to work to provide safe, affordable, accessible housing and housing services for deserving Colorado residents.
The 7,000th home was painted by Brothers Board and Staff on July 22 just a few blocks from the main office in Edgewater. This project was completed in honor of, dedicated to Shierling, the co-founder and loyal board member Don Schierling and was presented with the Brothers Lifetime Achievement award.
The recipient, Ms. Tobin, has lived in Edgewater for more than 40 years and loves the small town feel of the neighborhood. “We felt it was appropriate to select one of our Edgewater neighbors for this project,” said Chad Nibblelink Volunteer Manager. “She has lived in Edgewater for about as long as Brothers!”
Jason McCullough (left) and Chad Mibbelink cheesing’ at the Brothers Redevelopment Block Party celebration
A few weeks later, Brothers staged the annual Paint-A-Thon event on Aug. 15th and 180 volunteers made up 11 teams to complete 10 homes in one day! A huge thank you to Optum, Bauerle and Company, Colorado Department of Human Services –Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, KEPHART, Iron Horse Architects, Omega Psi Phi Faternity Inc, Chi Phi chapter, Rose Medical Center Community Team, insuranceQuotes, Heritage Title Company, Holland & Hart and Hiratsuka & Associates for bringing their smiling volunteer teams into the community to work hard, give back and spread happiness!
All 10 of the projects completed are home to seniors living on a fixed income. By providing this service to them at no charge, the idea of ‘aging-in-place’ becomes realistic and these residents are able to stay safely and comfortably in their homes. In one day, Brothers saved 10 elderly homeowners over $20,000. The 37th Paint-A-Thon season will conclude at the end of September.
So what’s next for Brothers Redevelopment? “Another 7,000,” said Jeff Martinez, President of Brothers Redevelopment.
“We will continue painting the homes of elderly and disabled in need as we have done so for the last 37 years, and we will continue to serve our community as the housing resource of last resort.”
Paint-A-Thon projects are one of many services Brothers offers to the community. In addition, Brothers offers programs for affordable housing, housing counseling, home maintenance/repair, Colorado Housing Connects Helpline and more. For more information Call 1-844-926-6632 or visit www.brothersredevelopment.org
Both events would not have been possible without the support of the generous Paint-A-Thon sponsors. Thank you to Heritage Title Company for being the leading sponsor with a near $5,000 contribution in addition to sponsorship from Rose Medical Center, Holland & Hart KEPHART. Also, thanks to the Edgewater business community for their in-kind donations for the block party celebration. The beer from JoyRide Brewing, hot dogs from Wheat Ridge Poultry, lemonade & sweet tea from Chick-fil-A, donuts from LaMars, and music from 101.5 Jammin radio made the celebration was a success and Brothers raised over $2,000 for the program. In addition, thanks to current board members John Rinderknect, Randy McCall and Bill Christopher for donating funds to make this celebration possible.