Rock the Block 2019 Brillion committee members: Left to right: Bob Endries, Sarah Wylie (Habitat), Ryan Roth (Habitat), John Weyenberg (Habitat), Pat Endries, Sarah Pielhop.  A $50,000 grant from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation is just one of many gifts from generous donors that will help expand Rock the Block into Brillion in May and support a “mega” event in Menasha. Scroll down to see the rest of the supporting funds.

By Lea Hagins, Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity’s Rock the Block program kicks off Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization efforts by bringing together residents, municipalities and community partners to complete exterior home repairs for low-income homeowners and community projects to improve and beautify the neighborhood surrounding those homes.

Thanks to many generous grants from funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Fox Cities Habitat’s Rock the Block will continue to be a catalyst for improving neighborhoods across the Fox Valley in 2019.

Since the program’s inception in 2015, Habitat’s Rock the Block has improved 11 neighborhoods in the Fox Valley (Read more here).

The need for revitalization continues to grow in vulnerable neighborhoods where homes need repairs, and the housing cost burden is increasing.

In 2019, Habitat’s Rock the Block will continue to expand beyond the immediate “urban” Fox Cities and reach out to more rural communities to share the benefits of Rock the Block. In May, Rock the Block will launch the neighborhood revitalization program in the City of Brillion and then complete an “expansive” neighborhood in the heart of Menasha during late summer/early fall.

The Menasha effort will encompass an area approximately three times the size of our traditional Rock the Block neighborhoods and be completed over a period of weeks and months. It will stretch from 9^th Street to downtown and will include the areas around Menasha High School and the Boys & Girls Club.

In the early planning for these 2019 neighborhoods, Habitat’s Rock the Block has seen a tremendous amount of excitement. Residents are engaged and encouraged by the possibility of a positive transformation of their community and the opportunity to build stronger bonds with their neighbors. The energy and community-wide support in Brillion is nothing short of amazing and the entire city is looking for ways to get engaged in Rock the Block efforts.

Gifts like the $50,000 grant received from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation help to ensure we are investing in our most vulnerable neighborhoods. Not only are more families living is safe houses, our neighborhoods in the Fox Valley are a better place to build lasting relationships that will continue to “pay dividends” for years to come.

Beyond 2019, Habitat’s Rock the Block continues to evolve and stimulate further neighborhood development in and around the Fox Valley. Rock the Block is now a central part of the Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity work and will continue to transform communities and improve lives throughout the Fox Valley for years to come.

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity is grateful to the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region for the financial support of Rock the Block and is honored to have the Community Foundation as a partner working together to build communities, homes and hope for families living in the Fox Valley.

The 2019 Rock the Block project is supported by these funds from within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region:

Bob and Pat Endries Charitable Fund
Bright Idea Fund
Brillion Area Community Endowment Fund
Frank C. Shattuck Community Fund
Jeremy Pomasl and Marcia Endries-Pomasl Endowment Fund
Merizon Family Fund
Professional Plating, Inc. Charitable Fund
Robert and Patricia Endries Family Foundation Ltd
Seifert Family Fund
Steve and Susan Endries Charitable Fund
Thomas E. Endries Charitable Fund