Paint-A-Thon Returns for 2021 following COVID-19 cancellation

Jay Clover, a volunteer from First Church of the Nazarene, paints Laurie Powell's home Wednesday during the Burlington/West Burlington Paint-A-Thon in Burlington. The home, which originally was a dark barn red color, was painted two years ago, but the old color was showing on parts of the home so volunteers returned this year to touch up and repaint the house. Volunteers fanned out over Burlington and West Burlington this week to paint homes in the annual Paint-A-Thon, helping those who don't have the resources or money to do it themselves.

Paint-A-Thon members are hoping the goodwill it provides to the Burlington local community each yr will spread a great deal like the virus that resulted in the cancellation of very last year’s function.

Each year, hundreds of Burlington and West Burlington citizens get the job done with their neighbors, co-staff and pals to paint houses for people most in will need in the Burlington group.

“It’s like a excellent virus,” claimed Mark Rosenburg, crew chief for Bethany Lutheran Church, who was portray a home on Elm Courtroom. “It goes to the community and spreads.”

The Burlington/West Burlington Paint-A-Thon is hosted each yr by Two Rivers Lender and Believe in in collaboration with Diamond Vogel Paint and Community Action of Southeast Iowa. A person of the program’s plans is to beautify the households of individuals who simply cannot pay for a contemporary coat of paint. This year’s event marks the 28th once-a-year Paint-A-Thon. Past year’s was canceled for the reason that of COVID-19.

Volunteers paint Laurie Powell's home Wednesday during the Burlington/West Burlington Paint-A-Thon in Burlington.

Rosenberg himself has participated in Paint-A-Thon for at the very least 20 many years, but claimed he was not an first participant. When Paint-A-Thon initial commenced in Burlington, an organizer reached out to all the church buildings in Burlington asking for assist. Since then, it has become an annual tradition for numerous churches.

Rosenberg claimed Bethany Lutheran has adopted the motto “God’s work, our palms” as a symbol of what they want to do in the group. All over the years, associates have participated in a quantity of actions aimed at assisting associates of the neighborhood, but this yr the church has thrown their all into working on their Paint-A-Thon household.

Bethany Lutheran was doing work on a household on the 1600-block of Elm Court docket. They had been also functioning with Tineco and Industrial Motors.

Jon Brice, a volunteer from First Congregational Church, paints Laurie Powell's home Wednesday during the Burlington/West Burlington Paint-A-Thon in Burlington.

Bill Schwerin, who lives at the Elm Court docket home, did not seek out inclusion in this year’s Paint-A-Thon. He receives foods five instances a 7 days delivered to his dwelling, and a single of the men and women who delivers meals to him stated they imagined that he need to apply.  

“I explained, ‘Yeah, go ahead and set my title in.’ A pair of months later on, I uncovered out that I had been picked,” Schwerin stated.