Tag: NeighborWorks®

NeighborWorks Rochester reveals new name

NeighborWorks Rochester is now NeighborWorks Community Partners Rochester, as part of the NeighborWorks Community Partners nonprofit collective. NeighborWorks helps build and strengthen communities by guiding individuals and families with modest budgets along their homeownership journeys. A new focus includes outreach to young professionals. The Rochester office is located at 570 South Ave. Staff partners with banks and community supporters to assist neighbors with homebuyer education, financial fitness, low-interest lending, home repair and rehab, lead testing, and energy-efficiency assessments.

Posted Nov 5, 2019 at 4:34PM via Monroe County Post

Do you know a Good Neighbor? Nominations open for Celebration of Rochester Neighbors

NeighborWorks® Rochester is organizing its 3rd Annual Celebration of Rochester Neighbors, to be held in June of 2018. The free event will be held at the iconic City of Rochester Public Market, celebrates the great people that make our neighborhoods strong. Volunteers who are making a difference in each of the city’s four quadrants at neighborhood level, as well as one leader in the overall Rochester community will be recognized. City of Rochester residents who exemplify a vision for a better Rochester, who work to better their neighborhood or spark change by engagning others will be considered. Full nomination details are available on the webpage:  https://nwcprochester.org/Celebration-of-rochester-neighbors/.  Anyone can nominate a City of Rochester neighbor for consideration! Fill out a nomination form today!

The event will recognize four Community Champions – individuals from each of the four quadrants of the city for their contributions to their community. The Community Leadership Award award, which recognizes volunteer leaders who work to improve the entire community of Rochester.

Celebration of Rochester Neighbors is much like a block party for the entire city. The event will also kick off NeighborWorks® Week in Rochester and will feature live music, food, and children’s activities. Admission to the event is free. NeighborWorks® Rochester, a non-profit organization, builds strong neighborhoods by educating and counseling new homeowners, providing loan services and energy-savings programs to homeowners and targeted neighborhood revitalization through the Healthy Blocks Neighborhood Initiative. Volunteers who wish to help with the event, or local business interested in sponrorship can contact Kelly Hallenbeck, Resource Development Manager at 327-4170, or khallenbeck@nwcprochester.org.

Our Bags Roc to kick off NeighborWorks® Week

NeighborWorks® Rochester will be holding a tote-ally awesome fundraiser on Friday, June 5th called Our Bags Roc. The event will be held at the newly-renovated NeighborWorks® Rochester offices at 570 South Avenue in the South Wedge area of Rochester from 5:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. and will feature the live auction of “Bags of Swag” donated by local merchants, artisans, restaurants and more. The event will kick off the local celebration of NeighborWorks® Week – a week to recognize successful partnerships, neighborhood change and awareness – which begins June 6th.

OurBagsRoc_Logo cropped LoRezItems for auction include a custom-fitted suit from Vittorio Menswear, a tasting for 20 from Black Button Distillery, a Home Improvement Bag valued at $250, a personalized Memory Quilt and Cocktail Culture and much more. You can view all of our generously donated items and bid on them online: https://www.biddingowl.com/NWRochester

The event will also include delicious food, signature cocktails and beverages. Sponsors include SiteHub, Madison and Dunn, YELP! and Innovative Solutions. Todd Solomon will provide live musical entertainment.

Funds from Our Bags Roc will support the agency’s wide range of services supporting neighborhood stabilization through homeowner education, strategic lending and energy conservation.

Tickets are only $10.00 and are available at ABODE Rochester, 289 Gregory St., Rochester or at NeighborWorks® Rochester offices or online at https://ourbagsroc.eventbrite.com .

Call 585.325.4170 or visit www.NWRochester.org for more information.

New Executive Director Starts at NeighborWorks® Rochester

Maureen Murphy

NeighborWorks® Rochester is excited to announce the appointment of Maureen Murphy, M.P.A, as Executive Director. Ms. Murphy has a history of community service in the Rochester area and currently serves as Board President of the Friends of the Public Market and was a long-standing board member of the South East Area Coalition (SEAC) in Rochester. She previously served as Executive Director of the Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County.

“Maureen has significant non-profit leadership experience and brings knowledge and experience in housing programs, and experience managing staff, but as important, she brings a high level of passion, commitment, and heart for the work that we do,” stated Kim Brumber, President and CEO of the NeighborWorks® Western NY Affiliation. “Maureen knows our programs first-hand; she bought her first home through our Homebuyer Education and Counseling program and also lived in Swillburg during our first Healthy Blocks initiative, seeing up close and personal the impact and potential of Healthy Blocks.”

Maureen, who currently lives in the Park Avenue area of Rochester, is a graduate of SUNY Brockport and Nazareth College. She enjoys running and can be found most Saturdays at the Rochester Public Market.

Dedication of NeighborWorks® Rochester’s Education Center in Memory of Karen DiNardo

Dinardo Karen 600dpiWe were honored to dedicate our newly-renovated Education Center to volunteer and friend, Karen DiNardo, at our recent Annual Meeting. The following are remarks made by Kim Brumber, President and CEO of NeighborWorks® Community Partners, during the dedication.

Karen was one of those people that even though I didn’t know her really well, I was able to draw strength from her; that was just the type of person she was.

Karen was a real estate attorney with the local firm Phillips Lytle whom NeighborWorks® Rochester worked closely with at the time. I think we may all likely have an image that comes to our mind when we say real estate attorney – but I will venture to say that at least in my mind, she wasn’t your “typical attorney” – whatever that is! 

Karen served as a volunteer in our homebuyer education classes. For those of you that don’t know, we bring in experts for various sections of the class – a home inspector, a realtor, and an attorney. Karen was our go to person for the “Choosing and working with an attorney” section of the class.

As a volunteer she gave a lot of time to NeighborWorks® Rochester and to our customers. She would often present at the class and then hang around long after her presentation time to assure that she had met with every participant that wanted to ask her a question one-on-one. Her care for our customers and commitment to their success as homebuyers was palpable. I quickly learned through various circumstances that she was very protective of the first time home buyers that she worked with through here – that, I believe was representative of the person she was.  Caring, dedicated, committed and unwavering.

This quiet, gentle strength. She had a patience and calm with people that instantly put people at ease.

Karen left us too soon. She fought a long, difficult battle with cancer – but even through that, she remained positive and still gave of herself endlessly, for as long as she was able. She never gave up. In the years since her passing, when I remember Karen, I recall a very passionate person who cared deeply about those she helped and her work – I think of her as being “all in” when she did something; there was no half way with Karen. For me, she was one of those people that touches our life for a brief time but leaves an impression that goes on forever.  If I had to pick one word that comes to mind when I remember her, it is exceptional. 

It is my honor to dedicate this room, our education center in memory of someone who cared so deeply about our first time homebuyers that are educated here – this will assure that Karen’s life will be remembered through our work.

Congratulations to our Award Recipients!

Partner of the Year, 1st Niagara Bank
1st Niagara Bank representatives, Phil Swetz, Karla Gadley, Bridget Campbell and Laura Smith accept the Partner of the Year Award from Luis Burgos.
Luis Burgos and Kim Mitchell.
Luis Burgos and Kim Mitchell.
Luis Burgos and Greg Stefl.
Luis Burgos and Greg Stefl.

NeighborWorks® Rochester recently held its 2015 Annual Meeting at the agency’s newly renovated facilities. More than 150 people attended the event, which was a celebration of a record-setting year of services provided to new and current homeowners in the Rochester area, as well as an opportunity for us to recognize individuals and organizations that were significant supporters.

First Niagara Bank was honored as the Partner of The Year in recognition of their collaboration, commitment and leadership. Luis Burgos, Executive Director of NeighborWorks® Rochester, stated, “Our relationship with First Niagara has been a solid one from the beginning, when we first connected with them for our First Home Club. They are a great resource for potential home buyers and for NeighborWorks® Rochester, as well.” We are so pleased to partner with them in making Rochester a great place to live!

The Edline Chun Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Kim Mitchell, of Rochester, who serves on our Marketing and Development Committee and donates her considerable decorative talents and materials to all agency events. As a homeowner who has received NeighborWorks® Rochester services, Kim actively promotes the programs and acts as an ambassador for the organization, whenever requested. “This award is given to honor the legacy of Edline Chun, an extraordinary volunteer who gave of herself selflessly to achieve our mission of strengthening neighborhoods. Kim embodies many of the same characteristics that made Edline special,” Burgos said.

Also recognized at the event as Employee of the Year was Operations Manager Greg Stefl, of Rochester. As the point person for the recent facility renovation and technology upgrade, Stefl’s “exacting standards have improved many aspects of our organization and his passion for our mission has made a difference for the communities which we serve“ said Burgos.

We are so grateful for the support of our partners, friends, volunteers and staff. They allow us to provide great customer service to our community and to help make Rochester a great place to live!

For more pictures, check out our Facebook page.