| Neighborhood Restoration, One Porch at a Time
Teenagers spruce up property in Bristol, TN.
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In small teams, hundreds of teenagers descended on the city of Bristol, TN, last summer and started fixing things fast.
Over the course of a week, more than 400 youth from 10 different states went to work on houses throughout the Weed and Seed neighborhood. They made minor repairs, built wheelchair ramps, spruced up porches, and tiled and laid flooring.
The beautification program brought the community together, said Corey Smith, the Site Coordinator for the Anderson Neighborhood Weed and Seed Project. "The residents feel pride in their neighborhood now because people care," she said.
The volunteers' efforts were well recognized by the residents. They made the volunteers food, talked with them, and really found the experience worthwhile, according to Smith. A crew of five youth and one adult stayed with each participating home all week, thereby building a special relationship with residents.
The volunteers, from the Group Workcamps Foundation—a nonprofit organization that serves churches by providing Christian mission trips—stayed in a local high school and paid for their food, expenses, and travel. Every night they gathered for dinner, fellowship, and discussion of the day's activities. One volunteer told a local paper that he learned a lot, and because the resident was involved, he saw how much the repairs meant to the resident.
Last year, CCDO helped fund the Workcamps project, but this year, because Weed and Seed money no longer helps fund construction projects, the site raised more than $18,000 through churches, civic organizations, and individuals. Although Smith would like to continue the project even after the site graduates from Weed and Seed, she admits that the project requires a lot of time organizing and that she would have to look for alternative funding sources.
On the other hand, Smith was quick to enumerate the benefits of running the Workcamps program in her site. The program functions as a good public relations campaign for the site, gets local college students involved, and gets staff to go out and knock on doors.
"It's a great way to get out in the community," she said.
Through the camp, the Weed and Seed staff got to know the site's residents better, and they will now be sure to look out for them, Smith added. Staff also compiled a list of elderly residents who might need extra attention and assistance and shared the list with the community policing officer.
For more information, contact:
Corey L. Smith
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator for Bristol, TN
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