Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9412230071
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N18 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"We started out in good faith that as a neighborhood group we could make a difference in our community - and we have. I give honor and respect to everyone in the house."
Applause filled the room as more than 100 residents, volunteers and dignitaries attending a recent Northwest Neighborhood Environmental Organization fund-raising banquet nodded their heads and clapped in agreement.
During the past 14 years, the group has transformed a crime-ridden Gilmer neighborhood with crumbling buildings and overgrown lots into a place with modern, affordable housing and a strong sense of community. The neighborhood now attracts young families.
The banquet was about celebrating progress. It was about recognizing volunteers, and looking back with pride and forward with hope. It was to thank businesses and individuals whose financial contributions have made progress possible. Also, it was a tribute to the woman who started it all with a handful of volunteers and a long wish list.
"She created a vision and went to work to make it happen," Roanoke City Manager Robert Herbert said in his tribute to Thornhill.
"When the neighborhood was in great distress, she could talk about what the housing would look like ... She could see young families moving back into these houses."
Herbert, who has worked with Thornhill's organization on numerous projects, called Thornhill a visionary with the ability to motivate people and change the community.
"If we had this type of effort and cooperation from all segments of the city, we probably would not have much to do," he said.
"Many times city neighborhoods only come together when they are facing a hot issue," he said. But he added that the more than 20 community groups that have organized in the last decade, modeled after NNEO, are making great strides.
"We are just like a family working together to make Roanoke a better place for all," Thornhill said. "The [Roanoke Neighborhood] Partnership has brought all neighborhoods together under an umbrella. I have gotten to know people I never would have known from all parts of the city."
She also thanked those who make financial contributions to the organization .
"All these charming bankers have not refused me anything," she mused. "We have been wonderfully blessed."
The NNEO operates on money obtained from local, state and federal grants, along with donations and fund raising. "[Supporters] have found that we are tangible - that we say what we mean, and we mean what we say," Thornhill said.
Chuck Traugott of the Allstate Foundation presented Thornhill with a $7,000 check that the group will use to purchase a home for renovation. Allstate has provided funds to purchase five northwest neighborhood homes.
Architects, contractors, churches and other organizations also have supported NNEO with funds, guidance and volunteers, Thornhill said.
"And we will never stop looking for help."
by CNB