"Great Migration" photo search, Spring Forward launch, NRC@TheWell, and more NRC News! Love what we do? Click here to donate to Neighborhood Resources Corp. now, and support your South Bend neighborhoods. Follow Us On Twitter Friend Us On Facebook Forward To A Friend Last day to register for "A Little Taste of Peace" event in South Bend! Join NRC and other co-sponsors in a gathering designed to encourage respectful conversations about race relations, and to kickoff the annual Study Circles program on race and diversity. The event, from 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, is at First United Methodist Church, 333 N. Main St. You can check details and complete a required online registration here. Participants are asked to bring a dish to share (no pork dishes, please), and identify their ethnic and faith traditions to be represented at the potluck-buffet table and in conversation groups.

Neighborhood Resources Corp. invites you to support the Spring Forward initiative, a "public art meets abandoned properties" program in partnership with cstackstudios ! Spring Forward launches in March 2014, with the first South Bend homes to receive a fresh take on boarded-up windows and doors: Painted designs, on the boards, that look like window curtains, flower boxes, cats, entry doors and other home touches. This creative spark of community to improve South Bend streetscapes needs volunteer neighbors, local artists and business donors to sign up! Learn more on Facebook or the NRC website

Help the NRC with a vote in the Old National Bank contest! Visit the website here for complete details, and cast your vote for NRC in the "Choose Your Charity New Year's Giveaway." Old National will be donating $24,000 to area nonprofits, with votes accepted through the month of January. Anyone 18 and older can cast a vote, once per day, and you need not be an Old National Bank customer in order to participate. The top vote-getter at each branch will receive $1,000, so be sure to head over to the Eddy Street office and cast a vote for NRC. The branch is located at 1233 N. Eddy St., Suite 101, in the Eddy Street Commons. South Bend Things To Do and See



******** Jan. 16 South Side Neighborhood Association, shown above, meets at 5:30 p.m. at Sonlight Fellowship Wesleyan Church, 3702 S. Michigan St. For an updated list of neighborhood association meeting times and locations, check the link

Jan. 18 The annual Earth Friendly Eating event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Main Branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library, 304 S. Main St. Learn about the environmental impact of your food choices, while enjoying speakers, information booths and hands-on activities for kids. Learn more at the link

Jan. 20 The Martin Luther King Jr. community breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Century Center. For a complete list of King Day events, check the South Bend Heritage Foundation list

Jan. 20 The East Bank Village Partnership meets at 6 p.m. at Zion United Church of Christ, 715 E. Wayne St. This month, Audra Sieradzki will be on hand to talk about the proposed development project at Colfax and Hill streets, which has attracted considerable community interest. For more about the East Bank Village, check the website

Jan. 21 The first South Bend Green Drinks is planned from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Woochi Japanese Fusion & Bar, 123 W. Washington St. Come out for conversation and camaraderie with like-minded South Bend residents interested in sustainability. Learn more at the link

Jan. 21 Community Forum for Economic Development holds its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the LaSalle Branch Public Library, 3220 Ardmore Trail. This month's topic is affordable housing, with guests Judith Fox, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Economic Justice Clinic at the University of Notre Dame; George Lee Byers, Executive Director, Housing Authority of the City of South Bend; and Pamela Meyer, Director of Neighborhood Engagement, Department of Community Investment at the City of South Bend. Learn more about CFED at the link

Jan. 24 It's the return of Global Game Jam! This year, The Branch at 108 N. Main St. is host to this weekend event that is a design challenge, to create a game in 48 hours. Learn more at the Global Game Jam

Jan. 24 Come join NRC@The Well at 7 p.m. for another night of community-based entertainment and celebration of South Bend neighborhoods! Learn more about The Well at the link

Jan. 27 Common Council meets at 7 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the County City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. For committee meeting, agenda details and other information, check the link here. South Side Neighborhood Association, shown above, meets at 5:30 p.m. at Sonlight Fellowship Wesleyan Church, 3702 S. Michigan St. For an updated list of neighborhood association meeting times and locations, check the link here The annual Earth Friendly Eating event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Main Branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library, 304 S. Main St. Learn about the environmental impact of your food choices, while enjoying speakers, information booths and hands-on activities for kids. Learn more at the link here The Martin Luther King Jr. community breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Century Center. For a complete list of King Day events, check the South Bend Heritage Foundation list here The East Bank Village Partnership meets at 6 p.m. at Zion United Church of Christ, 715 E. Wayne St. This month, Audra Sieradzki will be on hand to talk about the proposed development project at Colfax and Hill streets, which has attracted considerable community interest. For more about the East Bank Village, check the website here The first South Bend Green Drinks is planned from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Woochi Japanese Fusion & Bar, 123 W. Washington St. Come out for conversation and camaraderie with like-minded South Bend residents interested in sustainability. Learn more at the link here. Community Forum for Economic Development holds its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the LaSalle Branch Public Library, 3220 Ardmore Trail. This month's topic is affordable housing, with guests Judith Fox, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Economic Justice Clinic at the University of Notre Dame; George Lee Byers, Executive Director, Housing Authority of the City of South Bend; and Pamela Meyer, Director of Neighborhood Engagement, Department of Community Investment at the City of South Bend. Learn more about CFED at the link here It's the return of Global Game Jam! This year, The Branch at 108 N. Main St. is host to this weekend event that is a design challenge, to create a game in 48 hours. Learn more at the Global Game Jam link Come join NRC@The Well at 7 p.m. for another night of community-based entertainment and celebration of South Bend neighborhoods! Learn more about The Well at the link here , and be sure to like NRC on Facebook here Common Council meets at 7 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the County City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. For committee meeting, agenda details and other information, check the link here.











Inspired by the book "The Warmth of Other Suns," the project includes a series of community programs on the migration of African Americans to the north. One of the stories told is that of Benjamin Franklin Burns, the son of a sharecropper who was 1955 class valedictorian at his Tennessee high school. He came to work at Elbode Tire Shop in Mishawaka to earn money for school, but couldn't continue on after one year at university. But he did meet the young Elvira Williams, an Alabama woman visiting her sister -- and who came back to South Bend and married Benjamin in August 1960, who worked for Studebaker and later became a journeyman electrician.



It's these kinds of stories the Center for History wants to hear and see. If you want to provide a photograph or digital image for the exhibit, contact archivist Kristen Madden at kmadden@centerforhistory or call 574.235.9664, ext. 266. Learn more about Center for History at the website linked The Center for History is seeking photographs of Michiana residents who migrated to the area from other cities, states and countries. The images will be featured in the exhibit "How We Got Here," on view at the Center for History beginning February 22. The exhibit is part of "The Great Migration," a project of the Center, the Civil Rights Heritage Center at IU South Bend, Saint Mary's College and the University of Notre Dame.Inspired by the book "The Warmth of Other Suns," the project includes a series of community programs on the migration of African Americans to the north. One of the stories told is that of Benjamin Franklin Burns, the son of a sharecropper who was 1955 class valedictorian at his Tennessee high school. He came to work at Elbode Tire Shop in Mishawaka to earn money for school, but couldn't continue on after one year at university. But he did meet the young Elvira Williams, an Alabama woman visiting her sister -- and who came back to South Bend and married Benjamin in August 1960, who worked for Studebaker and later became a journeyman electrician.It's these kinds of stories the Center for History wants to hear and see. If you want to provide a photograph or digital image for the exhibit, contact archivist Kristen Madden at kmadden@centerforhistory or call 574.235.9664, ext. 266. Learn more about Center for History at the website linked here . Or stop in the museums on Monday, when admission is free in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. At 11:30 a.m., University of Notre Dame professor Stuart Green will offer an hour-long presentation to describe an upcoming related workshop called "I Am From." The workshop, and "The Great Migration" exhibit, is offered in conjunction with the the Notre Dame Department of Africana Studies and the Center for Arts & Culture.

******** City of South Bend SBHIP program: Eligible South Bend homeowners may receive certain approved home repairs -- such as roof, furnace and electrical -- through the South Bend Home Improvement Program grant program. Exterior repairs that improve neighborhood appearance also may be eligible. For more details call 574.235.9660 or check the city website

City of South Bend Homebuyer Assistance: South Bend offers two programs for first-time homebuyer assistance: The Community Homebuyers Corp. grant offers up to $19,000 to assist with the purchase of a home. The Reward program offers $1,000 to a potential homeowner who takes credit and housing counseling classes, and it may be used toward down payment or closing costs. Details available at the City of South Bend website