{"id":5913,"date":"2013-06-10T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=5913"},"modified":"2013-06-09T21:58:53","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T01:58:53","slug":"front-yard-makeover-powered-by-tools-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=5913","title":{"rendered":"Front-yard makeover powered by tools, friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coatesville homeowner says she’s blessed to have had such assistance<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea<\/span><\/strong>, Managing Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Susan<\/a>

Susan A. Jones says she thrilled with the results of a front-yard makeover organized and implemented by a group of friends.<\/p><\/div>\n

A collaborative front-yard makeover produced eye-popping results in the unit block of North Eighth Avenue this past week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks great. I want my place done now,\u201d said Danielle Melvin, who lives two doors down from the face-lifted residence.<\/p>\n

Melvin\u2019s visitor, Elizabeth Smith, agreed. \u201cThose hanging baskets of flowers really set it all off so nicely,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Gone are the broken fence posts and deteriorating porch sections. In their place: freshly painted, new construction, shrubs and bright floral accents; and new lighting.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Before<\/a>

Before the makeover, Susan A. Jones had a front porch and yard that was welcoming only to undesirables. Photo courtesy of Rodger Ollis<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The renaissance was orchestrated by Jordan Crans, executive director of the Bridge Academy and Community Center. During a meeting of the academy\u2019s Mom\u2019s Club, one of its members, Susan A. Jones, was asked by the group\u2019s guest speaker, Coatesville Police Officer Rodger Ollis, if she had any safety concerns. Smith said she was frustrated that her property had been frequented by vagrants and vandals.<\/p>\n

By the time Ollis learned that Jones\u2019 residence didn\u2019t have the best lighting or well-trimmed shrubbery, Crans was already hatching a plan: Why couldn\u2019t they get a group together to help Jones, for whom medical issues made such work difficult?<\/p>\n

To Jones\u2019 delight, a passel of high-energy volunteers wielding power tools and paint brushes descended on her porch on May 31. They included Ollis; Crans and her husband, Josh; Tyler Changaris, Bridge Academy\u2019s assistant director; Heidi Bowman, a Mom\u2019s Club mentor, and her husband, Scott Bowman, daughter-in-law, Martha Bowman, and her friend Jennifer Kasitz.<\/p>\n

One task led to another, and what had been envisioned as a one-day blitz turned into a multi-phase project that required extended visits over the next week or so. Even some new recruits were added to the crew. The Coatesville Police Department contributed a motion-detecting light fixture, and others who requested anonymity donated materials, such as wood and flowers, Crans said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just elated,\u201d said Jones, adding that she feels blessed to have such good friends in her life. Another bonus: She has received a flood of compliments about the finished product. She said people have repeatedly asked her if Good Works, Inc., a Coatesville nonprofit, did the transformation, to which she enjoys replying:\u00a0 \u201cNo – good friends did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ollis said he enjoyed driving by the residence on Saturday and seeing Jones on the porch with admiring guests. He said he\u2019s already been asked to assist others, which he\u2019s willing to do. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about restoring property; it\u2019s about restoring hope,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes you need help to get going, but it starts one house at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crans agreed. \u201cWe proved that a small number of people can make a huge difference,\u201d she said. With minimal expense, the results produced light, hope and joy, she said. \u201cI would encourage people to take the time and effort to find some friends and see what they can accomplish,\u201d Crans suggested. \u201cEven if you have to do little pieces at a time, it\u2019s going to be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coatesville homeowner says she’s blessed to have had such assistance By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times A collaborative front-yard makeover produced eye-popping results in the unit block of North Eighth Avenue this past week. \u201cIt looks great. I want my place done now,\u201d said Danielle Melvin, who lives two doors down from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,1],"tags":[682,918,2287,1464],"class_list":["post-5913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","category-uncategorized","tag-bridge-academy-and-community-center","tag-coatesville-police-officer-rodger-ollis","tag-heidi-bowman","tag-jordan-crans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}