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SALT LAKE CITY — At least 14 local homes got a much needed makeover on Saturday, with volunteers doing all the work.
"It's a chance to help make our neighborhood more beautiful," said Rob Roake, resource development director with Neighborhood Works Salt Lake, a local chapter of a national nonprofit that offers a variety of programs, including development in run-down neighborhoods, help with purchasing and upgrading homes for poor, disabled or elderly residents. It also hosts neighborhood enhancement and community programs.
In the past 31 years, the group has facilitated the painting of more than 800 local homes, with 14 on Salt Lake's west side joining the growing list on Saturday. The event — called Paint Your Heart Out — involves a number of volunteer teams from a variety of local businesses.
"We want to let people know that there's good things happening over here, there's community here. It's not just crime-ridden and filled with the bad things you hear on the news," Roake said. "There are homes here. There are families here."
The group works throughout the west side of the city and into Murray, trying to repair negative perceptions people might have of the areas.
Employees from the Tesoro Corp., which operates a large refinery in the area, turned out in droves to help beautify its own neighborhood.
"It's an opportunity for us to give back to the community," said Brad Shafer, manager of government and public affairs with the company. He and other employees spent much of the day scraping and sweeping, patching and painting, helping homeowners feel a bit more pride in their homes.
"It's a great feeling," he said.
Homeowners who can't paint their own homes, because of physical or financial restrictions, either apply for the opportunity or are sought out by Neighborhood Works. A couple of them peered through the windows as volunteers changed their outlook on Saturday.
But the benefits of the service were felt by all involved.
"It's nice to be able to help people who can't afford it or do it themselves," said Von Michael Kinyon, manager at ProCom Painting, which has donated paint and supplies to the annual project for the last 17 years. Kinyon said it has become a "family tradition" for the family owned business.
And even though he lets some of the homeowners select their own colors, he doesn't always agree with their choices — bright purple accents on a brown and white home, for example. But, he admits, the company mostly does commercial jobs, so the change in pace, though slightly more labor-intensive to paint a home, he said, is nice.
"This is the most colorful I've seen," Kinyon said, looking at the bright white exterior of the home he and his family and friends helped to paint. "It's a lot of work. But it's worth it."
For more information on Neighborhood Works or its annual event, visit www.nwsaltlake.org.
