LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With paint brushes in hand, more than 30 volunteers took over the neighborhood surrounding the Bellamy and Cochran Elementary school.
"ASEZ stands for Save the Earth from A to Z," says volunteer and University of Louisville student, Madelyn Brown.
This is the second cleanup here in Louisville that's hosted by the worldwide group. It's all part of a movement to reduce crime and increase hope.
"We're showing not only our community that there are people here who care about what happens and that there is a brighter future coming as well," said Brown.
This beautification isn't just visually pleasing, it's having a lasting impact on this community. "So by removing vandalism, by removing litter, actually we'll reduce crime in this way," said Brown.
Metro Councilman for District 6, David James, says he's worked with ASEZ for a year now. He was at the cleanup and says that allowing graffiti to stay up can give the impression that vandalism and litter is okay, "But we're not, so by working together and cleaning up the community, it lifts up the community, reduces crime and makes our community a better place."
ASEZ will host a community forum about their crime prevention campaign at UofL on September 19th.
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►Contact reporter Kristin Goodwillie at KGoodwillie@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.