Pitching in to show they care

The kids got a chance to do a little good in the neighborhood.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Many people driving or walking on some parts of the city's South Side today might notice how much cleaner and free of debris that stretch of their journey is.
That's largely thanks to the efforts of people like Charity Brady.
Brady, 19, who's with the Youth Build program, was out Saturday picking up trash and fallen branches in several yards near the Boys & amp; Girls Club of Youngstown, 2005 Oak Hill Ave.
She and a group of seven others also found themselves beautifying a park adjacent to the club.
Lee Cowart, 25, was part of the group, and he was happy "to do something that's good for Youngstown," he said.
Brady and Cowart participated in the annual Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Youth Day of Caring, which gave area youngsters an opportunity to be part of numerous community-service projects.
In addition to near-perfect weather, the event featured 18 project sites in Youngstown and surrounding areas. Work included painting, performing spring cleanup work for senior citizens, and planting flowers in sections of downtown.
Jumping in to help
Katelyn Brandenstein and Caitlyn Caldwell, both 16-year-old Cardinal Mooney High School students, didn't mind donning a pair of work gloves and doing their part to add a bit of color to a section of Federal Street.
"I took classes after school and talked to my teacher, and decided this sounded like fun," Caitlyn said as she and Katelyn prepared holes in the dirt for pansies.
"It sounded like a lot of fun fixing it up and planting flowers," Katelyn added.
About 150 youngsters took part in the day of caring event, which is in its sixth year, said JoAnn Stock, the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way's director of resource development and marketing.
Planning got under way in January and included contacting schools, church organizations and nonprofit agencies, as well as getting the message out to youth, Stock noted.
The youngsters are asked what type of project they want to take part in, and the students' needs are matched with the given agency's projects, Stock explained.
After the work was completed, the groups of participants returned to the YMCA on Champion Street. Each group shared its project with the others, Stock said.
Rich King, a trainer with the Youth Build program, said the United Way contacts his construction-based program each year to take part in the day of caring.
Those in Youth Build, which is part of the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority, must compete at least 30 hours of community work each year to graduate from the nine-month program. A bonus is awarded to the student who turns in the most hours, King added.