Volunteers: Homeowner says teen helpers are ‘angels’
with the Neighborhood Alliance and Building Together OKC.
About 300 teens from Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin have been painting and making minor repairs to homes in the northeast Oklahoma City neighborhood all week. They used more than 300 gallons of paint donated by city residents.
The project falls under Oklahoma City’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, a program that aims to improve existing houses and build new homes over the next three years in rundown, inner-city neighborhoods, said Ashley Dickson of Neighborhood Alliance.
Dickson finds the willingness of out-of-state teen volunteers to donate time to Oklahoma City improvements uplifting.
“Initially, the residents couldn’t believe that a group was going to come out and paint their homes for nothing. They asked, ‘What’s the catch?’ ” Dickson said.
“But since then, there have been tears shed, lots of hugs and just a disbelief that a group of young people in this day and age are willing to serve and volunteer in this capacity.”
‘Show me love’
For Seay, the home improvements have been a long time coming.
The last time the house was painted, her son-inlaw fell off the ladder before finishing. That was 10 years ago, and no one ever completed the job.
“It became one of those things of ‘when I get the money,’ but the money ain’t come yet,” Seay said.
Teen volunteers came instead.
Bricks, boards and white paint chips the size of leaves littered Seay’s front yard while the youth ap- plied canvas-colored paint to the siding and reinforced the wheelchair ramp leading to her front porch.
They also refreshed her flower beds with some new purple blooms.
“It’s a miracle, and I’m definitely blessed,” Seay said. “They could have picked anybody’s house to paint and do stuff for, but they decided to show me love.”
The grandmother of five said she won’t be surprised if she drives past her home until she gets used to the improvements.
“I ain’t never seen my house this color. I might just pass it up and go down the road and say, ‘Now which of them houses is mine?’ ”
As the campers worked, Seay sauntered around the yard, giving hugs to the smiling, sunburned volunteers.
Kyra Werner, 16, rode almost eight hours on a bus from Lincoln, Neb., to help.
Werner said she decided to volunteer in Oklahoma City after hearing about the area’s deadly May tornadoes.
Raised in the Catholic Church, the high school junior said the experience has deepened her faith.
“I’ve lived in the same house all my life, and it would be a huge blessing if one day people helped me like this,” Werner said.
‘This is home’
Seay appreciates the help because she knows hard work firsthand.
Born in Arkansas, she chopped cotton around her hometown of West Memphis to make ends meet. Both her parents died when she was young. She moved to Oklahoma for the simple reason that its name sounded “home.”
She and her husband bought her current house for its spacious rooms, perfect for five children.
Seay doesn’t travel much, only the occasional trip to Dallas or Arkansas. But a full life lived in her home made world travel feel unnecessary.
Over the years, she’s celebrated college graduations, buried one son and relished life with wild house parties that once rocked the whole block.
Her husband died five
like years ago. Since 2011, she has battled an aggressive form of breast cancer. Chemotherapy treatments finally ended in May.
“You learn how to be thankful for what you got,” Seay said.
This week, she’s grateful Catholic Heart Work Camp sent “angels” to her door.
Seay knows this neighborhood like she knows her own children and has no intention of moving.
“I love this house. I ain’t never leaving this house,” she said. “This is home for me.”