HOPEww Detroit Chapter Partners with Blight Busters to Beautify Detroit

…the Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

-Matthew 20:28

On Saturday, September 15th , about 30 members of HOPE worldwide Detroit chapter (and our friends) partnered with Detroit Blight Busters, Inc. to renovate a home and beautify the surrounding community.

Detroit Blight Busters partners with organizations like HOPE worldwide Detroit chapter to implement projects involving renovation in the community. Our assignment centered on boarding up the open walls of a home that had been destroyed by fire and would have been torn down. Fortunately, Google stepped in and provided a donation to prevent this from happening. After explaining our objective for the day, we measured, cut and installed plywood boards on the house. This will serve to protect the building from the winter; this will also prevent vandals from further destroying the property.

Along with boarding up the house, we also assisted by removing weeds from a stretch of sidewalk, mowed a community garden, and picked up trash and debris.

After the winter, the work will continue with another group of volunteers. And, when done, this house will be converted into a community center for the neighborhood. It will provide a safe place for kids to come and do their homework. The garden will provide fresh produce for those in need. Below are some pictures of what the house looked like before we started and how it looked at the end of our assignment.

Although, our efforts represent a small ‘ripple’, with more ripples over many years, we can continue to make our communities beautiful! All the volunteers worked hard and with a good spirit. And, our work helped create an asset in a challenging community.

After we finished, Malcolm Davis, the Executive Director of HOPE worldwide Detroit chapter, treated us to some hot dogs and hamburgers. Food and great fellowship are always a winning recipe.

To close out the day, John J. George (Executive Director of Detroit Blight Busters) reminded us of the importance of volunteers and thanked us for our participation.