BELLEVILLE — A festival and fundraiser to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Franklin Neighborhood Community Association will be held Wednesday.

The public is invited to the event, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Franklin Elementary School, 301 N. Second St. in Belleville.

The cost of admittance is 25 cents. Visitors can purchase tickets for food and games located throughout the school building.

The neighborhood association was started in November 1992 and the organization works from a house across the street from the school.

In the past two decades, the neighborhood association has worked with the school, city, churches and residents to transform the area, successfully shutting down drug houses and removing vacant buildings. The group also has established a variety of programs for children, including a summer camp and after-school enrichment activities such as yoga and cooking.

Residents have the opportunity to help the organization win a $50,000 Clorox "Power a Bright Future" grant to continue providing such programs, Franklin School second-grade teacher Brittney Odle said.

The school that gets the most votes overall will get a $50,000 grant. Three schools will get $25,000 if the school gets the most votes in its category. And, another three schools will get $25,000 based on merit.

Voters can vote once a day. Voting starts on Monday and will last through Dec. 19. For more information on how to vote, visit powerabrightfuture.clorox.com.

Contact reporter Jacqueline Lee at jlee@bnd.com or 239-2655. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/BNDBelleville.