Students? Changing the World? We Think So!

The teens pictured here are among 386 volunteers who have fanned out across Buffalo, NY to repair the homes of seniors who are unable to do the work on their own. This is the sixth year in a row that the "World Changers"  have come to Buffalo, in a week-long effort sponsored by NeighborWorks affiliate Neighborhood Housing Services of South Buffalo. 

Twenty-five homes and projects will be completed by the end of the week, including exterior and interior painting, roof repair and even maintenance of an abandoned, historic cemetery dating back to the Civil War.

"It is great having individuals from outside the area experience what Buffalo truly is — a city of good neighbors,” said Shryl Duderwick, NHS of South Buffalo's executive director. “We're helping the elderly stay in the homes where they are most comfortable and can have the fullest life. Our seniors are our neighborhoods."

"The volunteers are wonderful, very courteous and doing a great job," said Gregory Hunter, a lifelong Buffalo resident, who was having his front porch rebuilt and graffiti removed from his garage. "They are really helping me out a whole lot. The porch was rotted out and a hazard. I tried to fix it myself but couldn't do it right."

World Changers is a mission experience for students managed by the North American Mission Board. The week-long event in Buffalo is one of 96 projects in 85 cities undertaken by 21,000 student and adult volunteers.

Find out more about it from NHS of South Buffalo. View more photos here.