City of Lights event brightens up Riverside
Dozens of volunteers decked out a Buffalo neighborhood for the holidays Sunday, in an event that's become holiday tradition, bringing seasonal spirit to the area. YNN's Kaitlyn Lionti tells us more about B Team Buffalo's effort to help the community.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bright red bows, festive garland and plenty of lights can be seen throughout Buffalo's Riverside neighborhood, thanks to the members of B Team Buffalo and other volunteers who spent their Sunday decorating more than 30 houses in the area free of charge.
It's the fourth year for the B Team's City of Lights project where they go into a Buffalo neighborhood and help decorate for people who might not be able to.
"Whether it be because they can't afford the lights, or they're unable to decorate themselves for whatever reason, we can go out there and do that for them and kind of give them that spirit they might not otherwise have," said Elizabeth Callahan, vice chairman of B Team Buffalo.
Callahan says B Team Buffalo is made up of young professionals who work on civic action projects throughout the year.
"Everyone who's on the B Team and involved wants to stay here and wants to work here and part of that's rebuilding the community and making sure that we're giving back to the community that we work in and that we're involved in," said Callahan.
She says the B Team buys the decorations with donations and money generated from fundraisers, and the homeowners get to keep them after the holidays.
Residents we spoke with say this is exactly what their neighborhood needs.
"I think its fantastic. It really brightens up Riverside. Riverside has been down for a while, I've lived here my whole life and this is beautiful. I love this," said Mark Potter.
John Alessi said, "Usually we decorate, but this year, it's been a little tough and we just haven't had time, but yeah, this is awesome."
Click here to B Team Buffalo's web site.