THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603190081
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
They have the volunteers, brushes in hand. Now all they need are some houses to paint.
On April 27, for the second year, Norfolk Rotary Clubs are sponsoring the ``Paint Your Heart Out'' beautification project throughout the city. On that day, teams of volunteers will fan out among Norfolk neighborhoods to paint and do minor repairs on selected homes.
A nationwide project, Paint Your Heart Out was started in Hampton Roads by the Chesapeake Rotary Clubs four years ago. More than 100 homes in Chesapeake have been painted and repaired since then.
The Norfolk Rotary joined in the project last year. In their first effort, volunteers spruced up three Norfolk homes.
This year, they had planned on tackling 10 more.
``But so many people and community groups have gotten enthusiastic about the project and wanted to help that now we have enough volunteers and resources to do 20 homes,'' said Ann Baldwin, one of the project's organizers.
Volunteering to help are Master Gardeners, several Navy ship crews, church groups, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and businesses such as Virginia Power and the Bank of the Commonwealth.
The problem, however, is finding homes within the city that qualify.
``It's become very evident that getting enough volunteers and resources is not a problem,'' Baldwin said. ``But getting houses within our parameters is.''
To be eligible for help, a Norfolk homeowner must be at least 62 years old, reside in the home and have a combined household income of $12,000 or less. Handicapped homeowners and others with special circumstances also may be considered for the project.
``The idea is to do some cosmetic applications for people who just don't have the means for one reason or another to help themselves,'' Baldwin explained.
The volunteers will, however, do some ``minor repairs'' such as fixing window screens, repairing steps or power washing the exterior. But they're not able to work on homes with more extensive damage.
Although city officials and community groups have found some homes for the April 27 beautification project, so far the volunteers are far short of their goal of 20.
``We're looking for suggestions of homes from the public,'' Baldwin said. ``Even if we get more than we can do this year, we'll put them on our list for next year.
``This is not a one-year project. We really feel it will become an areawide effort before long. We have so many people who are excited about helping; we hate to turn them down.'' by CNB