Cape Girardeau community works to revitalize neighborhoods in downtown Cape Girardeau

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.(KBSI) — Volunteers took to downtown neighborhoods of Cape Girardeau to clean and revitalize a neighborhood block between Jefferson, and Sprigg streets, with the goal of making a lasting difference for future families.

Dr. Melissa Stickel, executive director of Community Partnership, helped organize the effort, working with the students from the YouthBuild program and community members.

“This is exactly what we hope to see people seeing us do work and wanting to get involved,” Stickel said.

As volunteers mowed overgrown lawns and removed piles of old furniture, neighbors joined in. One local resident, noticing the efforts, offered to mow an entire lawn with a large riding mower, a task that would have taken volunteers much longer to complete.

The cleanup is part of a larger way they are looking to restore the downtown area. Several homes in the neighborhood are currently being remodeled by YouthBuild students, Stickel said, and the plan is to continue the work, revitalizing more properties over time.

“These houses are being remodeled by our YouthBuild students,” she said. “We want to spread out and continue to revitalize this entire area.”

Stickel says that the work helps deal with the challenges many families face, with the rising costs of homeownership.

“Everything’s expensive,” she said. “If we can contribute to creating affordable homeownership and uplifting the community, that’s what we want to do.”

YouthBuild students from Columbia, Mo, also traveled to Cape Girardeau to join the effort, helping instill the important skill of lending a hand.

“We invited YouthBuild of Columbia to come down, and they brought about a dozen students,” Stickel said. “It’s a testament to the work we’re doing.”

The impact was instantly noticeable. Stickel said residents showed gratitude, talking about how improved alleyways made them feel safer and more hopeful about their neighborhood’s future.

“We’ve had several neighborhood people come and talk about how they can now drive down the alley and feel a little bit safer,” Stickel said. “Eventually these homes will have homeowners and families in them, and they will be impacted.”

At the heart of the effort, Stickel said, is a commitment to making a big difference.

“We want to continue to do this kind of thing bringing people together around real impact and making real visible change,” she said.