OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Lighthouse Project at Abide Omaha believes in instead of people leaving their neighborhood for a better one, they help them build up the neighborhood they currently live in. They go in, tear down and build up, sometimes totally gutting a house for the rebuild.
"In some of these neighborhoods, there are houses that are abandoned and an eyesore," said Kevin McKewn of Abide Omaha. "We come in and revitalize it, and make the neighborhood look better. And usually when one house gets uplifted most of the neighbors keep up."
It can take anywhere from six months to a year or more to rebuild a house, depending on how much work needs to be done and the amount of volunteer they have.
"Today we are painting, picking weeds and cleaning up the yard," explained Megan Longo, Vice Presdient of Brand and PR at Buildertrend. "This is extra meaningful to us, because we are in the construction business, and our software powers residential sites for construction. So it's good for us to get out and put ourselves in the shoes of our customers, and the work they do everyday and make a positive impact in Omaha."
The houses are either donated or churches ban together to buy them. They pick what is called Lighthouse Leaders to live their and energize the community. They say when the Lighthouse Leaders move in and engage with the community, crimes in those neighborhoods go down.
They have lots of projects you can volunteer for, just visit their website.
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