June 01, 2007
Several North Little Rock neighborhoods and schools look remarkably tidier, thanks to more than one hundred volunteers. Many of them are from City Year, the national Volunteer Service Organization
"That's what it's about, people helping people," said Sharon Johnson.
That's what Sharon Johnson see's when she looks around her housing project.
Sharon's lived here for three years, and says this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for her. "Everybody wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth, it's refreshing, something different to see something bright and pleasant," said Johnson.
In addition to painting parts of the building and the playground, fourteen murals are being painted, including one showing the children of the world, of all racial backgrounds.
Kyle Bartlett of City Year, and the rest of the volunteers, don't make money for what they do.
But Kyle says hearing sharon happy and laughing, is payment enough. "It's great to see happy, smiling, brighter environment," said Kyle Bartlett.
"We don't have a lot of money, working minimum jobs, mothers with a lot of kids, can't leave, not because they don't want, circumstances, life circumstances, up one day and down the next," said Johnson.
That rollercoaster ride is why Sharon's apartment complex was selected for the volunteer project, with can's full of paint, volunteers are determined to give a rusted old playground a facelift, one stroke at a time.
Sharon says today is proof, that despite all the bad in the world, good people do exist.
In addition to City Year volunteers, several people from JPMS Cox Accounting Firm, and the Future Now Organization, donated their time sprucing up North Little Rock Today.
Volunteers also fixed up the Sherman Park Recreational Center, and 7th Street Elementary School.