If you haven't seen Avondale lately, it is shaping up its image in several sections of that old neighborhood often maligned because of crime and drug activity.Hundreds of volunteers spent the day there spreading hundreds of cubic yards of topsoil and mulch for 10,000 plants in a new urban learning garden at Rockdale Academy.Bill Witten, who has been a part of the Avondale Community for more than a generation, said, "This should touch all the youth in Avondale in some kind of way, whether it be educational, activity, whatever. There's some great stuff goin' on."A couple months ago, it was a barren patch of brown earth. It looked a lot different today thanks to 300 volunteers and four heavy hitters who are heavily invested in its success.Children's Hospital, P&G, the Reds and the Cincinnati Zoo."It's all right here," commented Cincinnati Zoo horticulturist Steve Foltz. "They can just walk right outside into the greatest lab that I think is around in the country."A few blocks away, 3,000 free toys were being distributed as part of Avondale's makeover. The creativity spilled into the sprucing up of the nearby Boys and Girls Club."You don't want to just bring contractors in and say, well look, here's the investment," remarked Charley Frank, executive director of the Reds Community Fund. "You know, the more skin that the neighborhood has in the game, naturally the more they're gonna care."Caring hands were painting a changing picture.Artist Brent Billingsley worked on a mural of the Tuskegee Airmen.When asked about the significance of today's community work, he responded, "Thirty-plus kids from this neighborhood help work on this. To me, that's what's important."He mentioned how it gives children pride to participate in something bigger than themselves."You will run into a whole lot of hopelessness in some of these communities," he said. "Some of the kids, they're just looking for something to do. They're looking for somebody to point 'em in the right direction."Avondale's direction Thursday was worth cutting a ribbon over. They did that around 4 p.m.Not far from a new greenhouse bordered by Persimmon, Juneberry and Pawpaw trees, symbolic of Avondale's newfound growth.
If you haven't seen Avondale lately, it is shaping up its image in several sections of that old neighborhood often maligned because of crime and drug activity.
Hundreds of volunteers spent the day there spreading hundreds of cubic yards of topsoil and mulch for 10,000 plants in a new urban learning garden at Rockdale Academy.
Bill Witten, who has been a part of the Avondale Community for more than a generation, said, "This should touch all the youth in Avondale in some kind of way, whether it be educational, activity, whatever. There's some great stuff goin' on."
A couple months ago, it was a barren patch of brown earth. It looked a lot different today thanks to 300 volunteers and four heavy hitters who are heavily invested in its success.
Children's Hospital, P&G, the Reds and the Cincinnati Zoo.
"It's all right here," commented Cincinnati Zoo horticulturist Steve Foltz. "They can just walk right outside into the greatest lab that I think is around in the country."
A few blocks away, 3,000 free toys were being distributed as part of Avondale's makeover. The creativity spilled into the sprucing up of the nearby Boys and Girls Club.
"You don't want to just bring contractors in and say, well look, here's the investment," remarked Charley Frank, executive director of the Reds Community Fund. "You know, the more skin that the neighborhood has in the game, naturally the more they're gonna care."
Caring hands were painting a changing picture.
Artist Brent Billingsley worked on a mural of the Tuskegee Airmen.
When asked about the significance of today's community work, he responded, "Thirty-plus kids from this neighborhood help work on this. To me, that's what's important."
He mentioned how it gives children pride to participate in something bigger than themselves.
"You will run into a whole lot of hopelessness in some of these communities," he said. "Some of the kids, they're just looking for something to do. They're looking for somebody to point 'em in the right direction."
Avondale's direction Thursday was worth cutting a ribbon over. They did that around 4 p.m.
Not far from a new greenhouse bordered by Persimmon, Juneberry and Pawpaw trees, symbolic of Avondale's newfound growth.
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