Opinions

Thursday, Sep. 25, 2008

Still rolling in Rock Hill

If parts of Rock Hill look a little brighter and cleaner today than they did last week, thank the 500 volunteers who fanned out across the city to participate in Rolling in Rock Hill.

On Saturday, for the 14th year in a row, local residents dropped everything to take up brushes and rollers and paint houses for those who can't afford professional painters and who can't do the job themselves. This year, 26 teams tackled 18 homes in Sunset Park, Flint Hill, Hagins-Fewell and other neighborhoods.

As in the past, teams consisted of church groups, members of city departments, businesses, community groups, and students and faculty from Winthrop University and York Technical College. For many of these Saturday painters, Rolling in Rock Hill is an annual tradition.

Many of the homes getting a facelift were built more than 50 years ago. And in addition to painting the homes, volunteers also trimmed trees or shrubbery at many of the homes.

Since Rolling in Rock Hill started in the mid-1990s, more than 300 houses have received a fresh coat of paint. And the cost of the materials -- about $500 per home -- has been covered through donations.

This 14-year effort of course has benefited the people who live in these homes. But it also has helped rejuvenate the inner core of the city.

We congratulate all involved in this worthy project. And we hope, by now, they have been able to remove all the paint that ended up on them instead of the houses they were painting.