A hundred volunteers from insurance companies, banks, and 12 community organizations painted wrought-iron fences, planted flowers and spruced up homes in North Lawndale’s Village West Community and the African Community Garden as part of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago’s 24th Annual NeighborWorks® Day on Saturday, June 4. A new mural commemorating key moments and leaders in North Lawndale’s history was also created and installed in the African Garden by NHS’ Art Forward volunteers. Working alongside North Lawndale homeowners from the Village West Development were employee volunteers from lead sponsoring agency State Farm Insurance Companies. Other NeighborWorks® Day sponsors included the Travelers Foundation, Valspar Corporation The Home Depot Foundation, First Bank of Highland Park, NeighborWorks® America, U.S. Bank, and the City of Chicago. In the 24 years since NHS of Chicago’s first NeighborWorks Day, volunteers have made more than $5 million in improvements in Chicago neighborhoods. The NHS North Lawndale office, 3555 W. Ogden Avenue, has free homebuyer education classes, offers fixed-rate lending services, including loans for construction rehab, and other resources to help Chicagoans Buy, Fix and Keep their Homes. For more information, call 773-522-4637, or visit www.nhschicago.org.