Volunteers 'Paint the Town' in University Area

More than 1,000 volunteers turned out in the University Area to "Paint the Town" on Jan. 19.

The inaugural project entailed painting homes, mowing, cutting branches, gardening and cleaning vacant lots near locations such as the Police Athletic League fields and Mort Elementary.

Do-gooders helped pair belief with a willingness to invest in sweat equity. One job entailed cleaning up the 143rd Avenue neighborhood wall. The wall had been covered in overgrowth with patches of mismatched paint where graffiti and gang tags had been painted over.

Volunteers came from businesses, government agencies, religious groups, service clubs and student organizations.

The 4-square mile University Area Community is home to more than 30,000 at-risk and poverty-stricken residents. "Paint the Town" was coordinated by the University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc. and sponsored by PNC Bank.