XENIA — Volunteers from Central State University rolled up their sleeves to paint at the Greene County Housing Program during the United Way National Day of Action June 23.
Two shifts of a total of 18 volunteers worked 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to repaint the walls of seven units at the apartment facility on 1080 E. Main Street. Greene County Housing Program provides assistance to families with serious housing needs.
While families were out for the day, the volunteers painted bedroom and common room walls that had been scuffed over the years during move-ins and move-outs.
“This looks like a million bucks,” Nicole Switzer, Director of the Greene County branch of United Way (UW) of the Greater Dayton Area, said as she walked through a freshly-painted unit.
According to Switzer, who led and participated in the project, the CSU volunteers join more than 30,000 others mobilized for the Day of Action.
“This directly impacts the families in Xenia,” she said. “Central State likes to give back.”
Zakiya Brown, director of student engagement and campus life at CSU and a UW Advisory Board member, rallied together CSU employees and alumni for the day of painting.
“It’s an opportunity for us to be present in Greene County, especially in Xenia — we’re next door neighbors,” she said.
Despite the rain, the volunteers continued their work until every wall was complete.
Brown said she was happy with the turnout, and that she had felt support from the whole campus.
“We’ve been in this community for 130 years. This is a way to say thank you. It’s a way for us to give back,” she said.
