Habitat for Humanity of Orange County partnered with the Northside neighborhood to do exterior beautification on four homes as a part of National A Brush With Kindness Week.
The four homes that received beautification services were not Habitat houses but homes of elderly Northside community members that were unable to do the repairs themselves. More than 100 volunteers helped the owners paint exterior walls and shutters and trim and pressure wash where needed.
On Friday, Habitat held a dedication ceremony for the homes in the Hargraves Community Center.
Chapel Hill Town Council member and Northside resident Donna Bell said the room was filled with Northside families who tracked one another's growths by school performances, hairstyles, relationships and children.
The Rev. Thomas Nixon of St. Paul AME Church introduced the families: Prince Taylor and his wife Jean Taylor, Avon Lassiter Sr., Velma Perry and Eva Carlotta Lindsay — all longtime members of the community.
“I just get to stand in the aura that you emit,” Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said, noting the kindness and love in the room. “You all are the leaders of the leaders.”
He then presented each of the homeowners with a T-shirt, a doormat and an exchange of embraces.
Kleinschmidt was followed by Bell, who prefaced her speech by admitting she was trying not to cry.
