The Dow Chemical Company and Bay County Habitat for Humanity joined with more than 35 organizations throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region July 24-31, 2009, to paint, landscape, and repair porches, windows and screens along with other home improvement projects for 38 owner-occupied homes in the Rexer-Jablonski neighborhood on Bay City's southeast side.
More than 800 volunteers turned out for the week-long “Neighborhood Revitalization Project,” including Dow and Habitat employees, local churches and universities, summer youth camps, and other area businesses and community groups.
David Dupre, vice president of Dow's Michigan Operations, credited Dow employees for their participation in this collaborative effort with Habitat. “The overwhelming success of this project is a testament to the caliber of people I am fortunate enough to work with every day and to the worthiness of the work being done by Bay County Habitat and others involved in this effort.”
Homeowners involved in the project spoke eloquently about their experience and how the renovations were greatly appreciated. And though each shared a unique story, one common theme remained: Such incredible work could not have been accomplished without the support of so many people.
Bob Jarve, executive director of Bay County Habitat, expressed his thanks to Dow and to other donors and participants in the week-long project. He promised that next summer his organization would find a way to repeat this year's efforts in another neighborhood, allowing Bay City to continue its efforts to make the community a great place to live and work.
This marks the second consecutive year Dow has participated in a neighborhood revitalization project. In 2008, Dow joined with Saginaw County Habitat to revitalize a 15-block neighborhood near Covenant Healthcare. Dow has gone injury-free throughout both projects.
Watch the 2009 Bay City Neighborhood Revitalization Project Video
