COMMUNITY SERVICE

Paint the town. 6 Hours.
[ 30 minutes there, 5 hours painting, 30 minutes home]
Painted buildings.

Several weeks ago I volunteered in Waukegan for Pain the Town with Delilah and 93.9 FM. Before arriving to the service project I didn't think that it was going to be anything special. I just thought that we would be painting around the town and it wasn't going to make much of a difference. When arriving in Waukegan I had been previously told to be careful, but I didn't think anything of it. Unfortunately there were many abandoned homes and business buildings and the town just looked filthy. Around where I live the banks and business buildings are kept in great shape and all the buildings and homes look presentable. It is almost thought of unquestionable that every so many years the buildings where I live get repainted, yet the town of Waukegan hadn't been repainted in a long time.  It was eye opening to see how close [distance wise] I was to my own home, yet it seemed I had driven far away and ended up somewhere in the city. Many of the people I had volunteered with were the towns locals. It was amazing to see how close the town was and how kind people were. Many people had come up to me and thanked me for volunteering. It was touching to see how so many people were thankful for the town to be repainted by teenagers like me, who in no way have any art ability, but were just giving their time. It really does make a difference when someone can live in a town that looks presentable and for the people who live their to now be able to go into town and be proud of where they live.