ROCHELLE – Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County is helping update and preserve the exteriors of many houses in the area through their Brush with Kindness program.
Habitat for Humanity has been operating in Ogle County since 2002 and the organization typically attempts to build a new home every year for a qualifying family. This year they are offering their BWK program while continuing to raise money for next year’s build.
The BWK program provides services such as painting, landscaping and minor exterior repairs for lower income homeowners. The homeowners in need of assistance could be impacted by age, disability, family circumstances or some other unforeseen obstacle. Last year the BWK program fixed up one property in Hillcrest and another in Polo.
“The residence in Hillcrest we completely seeded the yard, power washed the house, installed gutters and repaired a ramp and a porch, said Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity Vanessa White-Broome. “This time around we are specifically looking for a family in Rochelle.”
Homeowners in need may contact the Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County and fill out an application online.  The application process makes sure the homeowners are willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity, that they own the property and that there is a need for the program. Each build has a budget of approximately $5,000 and once approved and the work begins, homeowners are asked to pay a small portion of the material costs.
“Because Habitat International’s philosophy is ‘a hand up and not a hand out,’ homeowners pay a very small percentage of the supplies, they are not paying for any labor. Typically, on a $5,000 project they would pay 20 percent or $1,000, said White-Broome. “But we are very easy to work with, they could pay that $1,000 back over a year’s time.”

The program has many benefits for both the community and the homeowner such as restoring properties to their original condition, bringing buildings up to code and saving the homeowner thousands in repair costs. But the most important benefit of all is to the family’s safety.
“This program gives them a chance for a better quality of life,” said White-Broome.
All of the work is done by volunteers who are supervised by three construction workers to ensure safety and quality work. The volunteers come from different businesses, corporations, church groups or just anyone who has a willingness to help. Anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to volunteer.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit group and is always accepting donations of any kind. To sign up to volunteer or make a donation contact White-Broome at 815-440-6598, visit habitatoglecounty.org or visit the organization’s Facebook page.
“Donation dollars are going right back into the community, any funds that come in are going to help these Brush with Kindness projects. We are always appreciative of donations or volunteers of any capacity,” said White-Broome.