Earlier this month, as part of a Community Housing Works project, more than 30 student volunteers from Point Loma Nazarene University participated in a FACELIFT opportunity in the City Heights community of San Diego.
FACELIFT is a program focused on house improvement projects in a single day to help spruce up existing homes in low-income neighborhoods.
The FACELIFT team was charged with painting the exterior of eight houses along the same block. They also removed debris from the yards and did basic landscaping improvements on the homes.
This year, the leaders from the university’s Student Ministries decided to spend their fall retreat in service to the community.
According to sophomore Kelcey Price, the students were able to work alongside other community volunteers, neighborhood associations and local business improvement leaders.
In all, more than 280 volunteers worked assist in the beautification effort.
“It was really great to see the students sacrificing their time to help people they’ve never met and probably might never have the chance to meet again,” said Price.
“There was a general attitude of people being grateful, especially those who can’t afford to or have the time to clean up these areas. It was a great day,” she said
Community Housing Works is a San Diego-based nonprofit organization that helps people in low-income neighborhoods improve their quality of life by providing a full range of housing options combined with training and support.
Price said that a block is adopted for improvements every six months. PLNU students have expressed interest in helping with the next project, when it is selected.
Point Loma Nazarene University is a private, four-year, Christian liberal arts institution grounded in the Wesleyan tradition.