235 teenagers from 18 states volunteer to improve northeast Ohio neighborhoods

BEDFORD, Ohio - They are part of nationwide effort called "World Changers" -- 235 teens from 18 states, volunteering to improve more than a dozen northeast Ohio neighborhoods.

Locally, the "World Changers" program is being coordinated by Bedford City Manager Hank Angelo. Angelo helped to find homeowners who needed a lift with badly needed improvement projects, and was also responsible for sparking donations to help buy supplies for the work.

NewsChannel5 met Angelo at a home in Bedford, where World Changers volunteers were repairing several parts of the property.

"The community is coming together," said Angelo. "In this instance, this guy is getting a new roof, and they're painting the garage. The homeowner's insurance company cut him off, and he has an autistic child."

Angelo said other cities like Euclid, Bedford Heights, Walton Hills and Orange Village will be working with "World Changers" volunteers the rest of the week, making improvements at nearly two dozen houses.

World Changers will conduct volunteer projects with 19,000 students in 85 cities throughout the United States this summer.

Teen volunteers, like Caleb Capps of South Carolina, pay $250 a week for the privilege of taking part in a World Changers project.

"Our youth minister was saying, 'hey do you want to go to World Changers,' and I said 'ya man let's go,'" said Capps. "So now I'm here in Cleveland changing the world, we're just up here serving the Lord, and doing his work."

World Changers was founded in 1990 at the Baptist Men's Brotherhood in Memphis Tennessee. To date, the organization has completed more than a million dollars in volunteer projects.

Robby Lacey of Aurora was also part of the World Changers team doing repairs in Bedford, and he encouraged others to take part.

"I would say do it," said Lacey. "It's hard work, it can be tiring and frustrating, but it's so much fun because of the people you meet."

More information about the World Changers program can be found on its website: http://on.wews.com/S6AtQR

Meanwhile, NewsChannel5 is leading its own neighborhood improvement initiative called Building Better Neighborhoods.

NewsChannel5 wants to help residents get involved in their neighborhoods by volunteering and reporting vacant/condemned homes, through its NewsChannel5 Building Better Neighborhoods initiative .

Residents are encouraged to send in pictures and information on distressed properties to our Troubleshooter Facebook or Twitter accounts @joeonyourside . Report a home using your smartphone and our free NewsChannel5 app.

NewsChannel5 will bring you a series of reports and updates on the progress made through the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative throughout 2012.