Natesh Chawla, Black Barbershop Health Initiative, Soul Influenced Sundays benefit 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 Celebrate "One Book, One Michiana" with First Fridays this month. Downtown South Bend comes to life from 5 to 9 p.m. with the "Book the Bend" theme, in connection with St. Joseph County Public Library and April events related to the 2014 selection of "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. Participating businesses around town plan special events around their favorite books, including your favorite shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities. Among them is Ali Oesch Jewelry, with an offer of 50 cents store credit per donated book, for any purchase Friday night. The books will go to Friends of the Library.

The Black Barbershop Health Initiative, an annual health screening and information outreach geared toward African American males, comes to South Bend and 10 other Indiana cities from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at locations including: Al's House of Style, Cutrageous (2 locations), Inspiration Barber Salon, Wigfall's, CJ's Barbershop and Nu Image. The goal is to educate African American males about major health risks, including heart disease, cancer and stroke. Sign up at the link here . Interested in being a volunteer? A short training session is planned for Friday night. Call 574.232.4234 for info.



Here's a job opportunity from the NRC's newest advertiser! "Concrete sawing and drilling company, is now accepting applications for full and seasonal employment in Elkhart IN. Construction and mechanical experience a plus. Must have good driving record and possess a valid driver’s license. Physical and drug test required. Excellent earning potential with benefits. Send resume' Attn: Concut, 443 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids, Mi 49503 or email bryerson@concut.com. EOE." If your business wants to reach out to South Bend's community too, contact NRC for paid ad or sponsorship information at 574.287.0425. South Bend Things To Do and See ********

April 6 Soul Influenced Sunday! Stop by Merriman's Playhouse, 1211 Mishawaka Ave., from 7 to 10 p.m. for community-based performers of all genres whose work has been influenced by soul. A $5 suggested donation benefits Neighborhood Resources Corporation. See Facebook link for more info.

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April 3 Calling all spoken-word artists! Deadline is midnight tonight to enter your original poem in the South By South Bend contest and win T-shirts for the May 8 music celebration. Go to the event Calling all spoken-word artists! Deadline is midnight tonight to enter your original poem in the South By South Bend contest and win T-shirts for the May 8 music celebration. Go to the event website , choose your favorite band and write a poem about them! Complete details on the site.

April 4 The River Bend Film Festival runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at the State Theatre, 214 S. Michigan St. Actor Clint Howard (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Apollo 13) will speak, followed by a presentation of short films around the world. Tickets and info at this

April 5 The annual Communiversity Day event begins at 11 a.m. at the Robinson Community Learning Center, 921 N. Eddy St., with a community picnic from 3 to 5 p.m. Area students and community residents work together on sprucing up the neighborhood, with activities that include painting murals and rain barrels, and working in the garden beds. For more information or volunteer sign up, check the link

April 5 Kay Pranis, a national leader on restorative justice, plans a daylong "In Pursuit of Justice" workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Center, 1805 Western Avenue. Email lmjep21@aol.com or c The River Bend Film Festival runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at the State Theatre, 214 S. Michigan St. Actor Clint Howard (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Apollo 13) will speak, followed by a presentation of short films around the world. Tickets and info at this link The annual Communiversity Day event begins at 11 a.m. at the Robinson Community Learning Center, 921 N. Eddy St., with a community picnic from 3 to 5 p.m. Area students and community residents work together on sprucing up the neighborhood, with activities that include painting murals and rain barrels, and working in the garden beds. For more information or volunteer sign up, check the link here Kay Pranis, a national leader on restorative justice, plans a daylong "In Pursuit of Justice" workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Center, 1805 Western Avenue. Email lmjep21@aol.com or c all 574.282.2397 ext. 4 immediately

April 8 It's the home opener for the Silver Hawks! Game time is 7:05 p.m. against Beloit. See ticket and other schedule info

April 10 The Keller Park Neighborhood Association monthly meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Keller Park Church, 1003 W. Bryan. For a complete list of neighborhood meeting times and dates, check the NRC

April 12 A community spaghetti dinner runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Well, 2410 Mishawaka Ave. Tickets are $10, or $25 for a family of three or more. Proceeds benefit the River Park Grace expansion of the children's space. Learn more about the event

April 14 The next Common Council meeting is at 7 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the County City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. For committee meeting and agenda information, check the link

April 22 Greentown Michiana 2.0 is set for the DoubleTree by Hilton, 123 N. St. Joseph St. Learn more about this latest gathering focused on how sustainability can be cost-effective for taxpayers, and other topics at the link to check on late-registration availability. Cost is $12 with scholarships available upon request. This event is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns.It's the home opener for the Silver Hawks! Game time is 7:05 p.m. against Beloit. See ticket and other schedule info here The Keller Park Neighborhood Association monthly meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Keller Park Church, 1003 W. Bryan. For a complete list of neighborhood meeting times and dates, check the NRC website A community spaghetti dinner runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Well, 2410 Mishawaka Ave. Tickets are $10, or $25 for a family of three or more. Proceeds benefit the River Park Grace expansion of the children's space. Learn more about the event here. The next Common Council meeting is at 7 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the County City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. For committee meeting and agenda information, check the link here Greentown Michiana 2.0 is set for the DoubleTree by Hilton, 123 N. St. Joseph St. Learn more about this latest gathering focused on how sustainability can be cost-effective for taxpayers, and other topics at the link here . Early-bird registration for this Earth Day event is due by April 15. April 25 It's not for awhile, but tickets for these historical bus tours of South Bend go fast! The Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County offers two-hour bus tours of South Bend neighborhoods, detailing their history and prominent residents. For all upcoming dates and tickets, check It's not for awhile, but tickets for these historical bus tours of South Bend go fast! The Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County offers two-hour bus tours of South Bend neighborhoods, detailing their history and prominent residents. For all upcoming dates and tickets, check here ********

Please contact the NRC with details about your neighborhood's upcoming cleanup dates. We'll feature them in the weekly newsletter, and showcase your photos (and your efforts) too. ********

University of Notre Dame



Your neighborhood setting so deeply influences community health – and your own – that a speaker at the Center for Social Concerns at University of Notre Dame said this week that what really influences your health is your zip code. “The health and wellness problem,” he says, is actually “outside of the setting of health care.” No, he’s not a health care professional. Not a community development specialist or urban planning expert. Not a sustainability champion, per se. He’s really a Big Data guy interested in how to apply that science for the common good. Nitesh Chawla, is the director for the Data Inference Analytics and Learning Lab at University of Notre Dame, and the faculty member who was presented with the 2014 Rodney F. Ganey Community-Based Research Award on Wednesday night.



His team’s project focused on creating a tablet tool for seniors in one South Bend community, to help them track their medications. But the tablets also served to track lifestyle activities, relationship-building activities and social connections – and it even engaged the LaSalle Square seniors in learning more about technology and social media, encouraging them to use Facebook, email and YouTube all the more. Here’s how Chawla describes his community-based research, work he spearheaded as a collaborative pilot project with partners in the Memorial Hospital Aging-in-Place and Community Health Enhancement programs, among others, to improve quality of life through the use of Big Data: “Big Data is meant to be more than a summation of small data … .In addition to questions such as ‘Do you smoke?’ and ‘Do you have allergies?’ information on other aspects of life that might be relevant to one’s health would also be captured. For example, at point of intake, clients would be asked about access to grocery stores, recreational facilities, and schools.” According to Chawla, these present the bigger problems. That’s why he asks, “How can we leverage data about our lifestyles, environment, socioeconomic conditions to develop an actionable and personalized health and wellness plan?” Just as Amazon and Netflix offer suggestions for books or movies, Chawla envisions a similar system to help guide people to better health choices in the community setting. Congratulations to Chawla on his efforts and recognition! To see more about his work and his research team, including a short video presentation, check the link here. Watch for details next week about NRC's own Ganey Mini-Grant community partnership involving our Engaging Youth, Engaging Neighborhoods work! ******** 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