ST. LOUIS — The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Regional Business Council banded together with community partners and volunteers for a "Clean Sweep" in Walnut Park.
The group tore down abandoned buildings and cleaned up the community in an effort to prevent crime and promote strong family values.
"People really want to be involved. People want to see their communities built back up, Cornell "Niddy" Thirdkill, a volunteer said. "They don't want to see it trashed, if you get people engaged they will participate."
Thirdkill wants to help usher in a new era in the community.
"If nobody does this it will continue to get worse," Spencer Cole, a young volunteer said. "I appreciate it and I'm happy to be here."
The next generation gets it. Spencer and his friends know the importance of their hard work.
"I actually enjoy doing things like this and looking forward to lunch with my friends," Spencer said.
"We don't want the community to be trashy and violent," Aniyah Edwards said. "We want to help people, clean up so people can have a better lifestyle."