Students from Alfred State Civic Leadership Summer Prep Academy joined other volunteers Wednesday at a Steuben County Habitat for Humanity Brush with Kindness neighborhood revitalization project in Prattsburgh.
Joy Overacker, a Habitat for Humanity spokesperson, described the community event as neighbors helping neighbors, and said it was a big success.
“Prattsburgh kind of epitomizes the small town in Steuben County, and the whole community has come out in order to make this happen,” Overacker said. “We’re doing exterior repairs for people who maybe can’t afford to, or they’re elderly or disabled or just family circumstances don’t allow them to do it themselves.”
Property owners appreciated the Brush of Kindness event
Overacker said the Brush with Kindness Event is a one-day initiative that involves volunteers coming together to assist community residents with exterior home repairs.
“The work included porch painting/staining, light landscaping, and yard clean-up,” Overacker said. “We worked to help homeowners, beautifying the (Prattsburgh) Village Square Park gazebo, other needed improvements. The property owners and officials seemed very happy with the results.”
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George Applebee, 89, who owns a home on Fairgrounds Road, Prattsburgh, said the Alfred State students did a great job making needed improvements at his home.
“They climbed on a ladder and did things I just can’t do anymore,” Applebee said. “They scraped and repainted several sections of my home.”
Alfred students ‘getting their hands and feet ready to work’
Lynn Hayes, support specialist at Alfred State College, said the students — there were about 50 at the Prattsburgh event — came from all over the state.
“This is the fourth week of their four-week summer prep academy,” Hayes said. “This is one of the days that we give back to the community. We’ve partnered with Habitat for a…
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