Many students spend their school’s spring break by heading south for a dose of sunshine and relaxation.’But 10 Lake Orion High School students passed up the sun and fun to spend their spring break (April 7th-11th) working with the Motor City Blight Busters in Detroit, as a part of the seventh annual Dragon Guided Activities Program (GAP) Alternative Spring Break.
The mission of the Motor City Blight Busters is to transform Detroit neighborhoods plagued by urban decay, depopulation, and blight into beautiful spaces filled with light and hope.?
The first two days of the project students helped well-known Detroit artist/muralist Chazz Miller in a number of art projects in the Artist Village, located at the intersection of Lahser and Grand River Roads.
The group painted light poles, parking meters, bus stop benches and created a huge mural on a corner storefront.
‘Detroit is like a blank canvas, and it was great to see the Lake Orion students come down and bring their positive energy to help revitalize our neighborhoods,? Miller said.
The students also worked with John George, founder and CEO of Blight Busters, on a huge demolition project that required students to clear out three abandoned and burnt out homes. The students were joined on this site by a group of fellow Lake Orion students and parents from the Christ the Redeemer Youth Group.
Both work crews helped clear out thousands of old books, clear rubbish, tear down walls, bust concrete blocks, demolish a front porch and, in turn, fill three 30-yard Dumpsters to beyond capacity.
Students attending the project were: Jacquelyn Boykins, Tiara Jackson, Renair Griffin-Lewis, Bradley Dunn, Kyle Robertson, Jack Mueller, Jennifer Howell, Will Denver, Emily Hagan, and Robert Fontana.?
The trip was arranged and chaperoned by Lake Orion Schools Guided Activities Program (GAP) coordinator Ben Gerdeman, LOHS Math teacher Renae Simpson, and Lake Orion Schools Service-Learning Coordinator Mary Beth Vanbuskirk.
Besides working on the job sites, students collected over $1,000 in donations for the Motor City Blight Busters.’The students also received 35 service-learning hours towards their LOHS service-learning requirement.