NeighborWorks Laredo kicked off NeighborWorks Week with a groundbreaking ceremony for five new homes. In Boise, teams of volunteers once again painted the town, sprucing up 25 homes with a spotlight
on homes owned by veterans. There’s a painting program in the Spenard neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, too – the same Neighborhood where NeighborWorks Alaska was created more than 40 years ago.
Across the country, network organizations are celebrating NeighborWorks Week, a time to highlight how the NeighborWorks network creates homes, builds America and strengthens community, together with the people who live there.
NeighborWorks Week began in 1983 as a time to celebrate the collective impact of the NeighborWorks network and all it accomplishes, alongside NeighborWorks, to create opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, build financial stability and strengthen communities. This year, NeighborWorks Week is being held June 7-14. All week, network organizations will host block parties, teach classes, mulch gardens and connect with residents.
“NeighborWorks Week is a chance to really highlight what we’re building with the network,” says NeighborWorks America’s President & CEO Marietta Rodriguez. “That means homes, both rented and owned. It means businesses that employ local people. And it means partnerships and connections. It is truly my favorite week of the year because it shows just how far our reach extends, and how much we can build together.”
“Creating homes, building America,” is the theme of NeighborWorks Week. Nearly 190 network organizations are participating, most of them with in-person events.
Building generational wealth in Missouri
In Missouri, building includes building wealth, and Westside Housing Organization Inc. will host a Generational Wealth Awareness Day as part of NeighborWorks Week.
“The theme was inspired by our ongoing work through Westside Housing’s 353 tax abatement program,” explains Carmen Lopez Murguia, executive director of the organization. The initiative supports residents in communities where many had been hit with a dramatic increase in property taxes. “Through this work, we’ve had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of families and hear firsthand about their concerns, hopes, and needs.”
A common thread emerged: “The desire for long-term stability—specifically around homeownership, understanding the use of tools like beneficiary deeds for wealth transfer, and the need for guidance around budgeting and financial planning. These conversations made it clear that generational wealth isn’t just a buzzword in our community — it’s a goal rooted in lived experiences and urgent needs.”
When planning the organization’s contribution to NeighborWorks Week, “Generational Wealth Awareness Day” was a natural fit, Murguia says. “The week is all about strengthening communities and uplifting neighbors, and this event speaks directly to that mission by equipping families with the tools and knowledge to build lasting financial security.”
During the event, the organization will offer workshops on homeownership, transferring wealth tools and budgeting, along with access to trusted local experts. “We hope it becomes both a learning experience and a celebration of community resilience.”
Generational wealth has long been important to NeighborWorks America, and the organization is putting a spotlight on how to pass wealth along to future generations. Upcoming events include a symposium on property inheritance to be held Aug. 27 during the NeighborWorks Training Institute.
Growing community in Ohio
Ohio’s East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation (EANDC), meanwhile, is celebrating
NeighborWorks Week with a new garden for seniors and a community festival, shared Tom Mignogna, chief real estate development officer. “At our organization, we’ve adopted a theme, and that’s ‘service with a purpose,’” he said. This year, EANDC is focusing on two major issues: access to healthy foods and combatting social isolation.
As an example, he talked about a property where his organization has recently taken on more of a financial and supportive role. “We’ve been having community meetings, and we learned that neighbors who lived next to each other for years didn’t know each other’s names,” he said. “We’re working to change that.”
NeighborWorks Week is a good opportunity to continue that work across multiple developments. The garden will give seniors a chance to plant their own flowers and vegetables – and to socialize outside. The festival will bring the whole community together for music, food “and a chance to talk, mingle and get to know each other. It’s a chance to learn about the services we offer. It’s a chance to celebrate the neighborhood.”
State and local representatives have been invited to the event, and Mignogna hopes that it will give them a chance to engage with residents and hear concerns.
Beautifying a block in Alabama
At Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham, NeighborWorks week kicks off with a homeownership course. But there will be more celebration than during the usual monthly course offering, says Carol E. Clarke, CEO of the organization.
The biggest celebration will take place at the end of the week with a Beautification Block Party. For the project, NHS of Birmingham has chosen one block, home to a large number of adults over the age of 55, in a North Side community known as Druid Hills. “We're really interested in this community because there's a catalytic development of an old hospital site that puts the neighborhood very much at risk of gentrification,” Clarke said. Combined with the addition of a new 9,300-seat amphitheater, and the neighborhood is looking at some rapid changes. The network organization has started buying lots in the area to create permanently available affordable housing.
The goal for the block party, along with beautifying the neighborhood, is to prepare seniors for expected changes – including to their tax bills and property values. “We’re looking for opportunities to deepen our engagement with some of the older homeowners,” Clarke explained.
Staff will be joined by 75 volunteers, including some connected with the amphitheater like Coca Cola, Live Nation and the Convention Center Authority. “Volunteers will be repairing and painting, planting flowers, mulching beds, planting trees, fixing retaining walls. We’ll have a DJ and breakfast and lunch.”
And they’ll be getting to know the residents even better and connecting with them, she said. Connection is what NeighborWorks Week is all about.
