PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — On Wednesday, 50 people volunteered to help revitalize two homes in Pueblo, one on the eastside and the other in the Bessemer neighborhood.
Volunteers started early in the morning to beat the heat. They begin by pouring paint, grabbing a brush, and rolling out a fresh coat.
“We are painting a home for a homeowner that is much in need of this new paint job. We're also sprucing up the neighborhood. We have several landscaping projects, both on this property and some adjacent properties as well,” said Melissa Cook, Director of Housing and Citizen Services for the City of Pueblo.
She said it is all a part of the Togetherhood Project through the YMCA of Pueblo.
“It's in the name when we all come together to do these projects, this is when we really get a sense of community and involvement,” said Cook.
Some of the volunteers were a group of employees from CSU Pueblo, including Sherece Alaniz.
“I feel like this is such a good program, and being able to give back,” said Alaniz.
Alaniz said it is special for her because she is from the Bessemer neighborhood.
“Honestly, it's awesome to see people just lending a hand and like with nothing in return. You know, my family still lives here, so it's awesome seeing it touched up a little,” said Alaniz.
Alaniz hopes this project will inspire others in the neighborhood to pass it along. She calls it the broken window effect.
“If you come into a neighborhood with a broken window and you fix it, and then you do a few others around it kind of makes everybody else want to fix up theirs. Then it sounds like it's just a domino effect. It's kind of like that giving thing, where you just keep passing on into the next and it just grows,” said Alaniz.
In this case instead of windows, it's paint.
“There's a lady that just walked up from not even our organization and just volunteered to help,” said Alaniz.
The lady Alaniz is referring to is Betty Finley. She is known for her passion to improve the Bessemer neighborhood.
“We all have to work together to help the other people, and so the ones that can't always help themselves, and we have to stand up and try to help those people the best that we can do and that's important to me, that makes my heart shine,” said Finley.
Finley said when she can, she shows up, to help her neighbors.
“Pueblo, let's be thankful we got people like this to volunteer for our community,” said Finley.
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