NORFOLK, Va. - On a Friday afternoon, a group of volunteers is digging, taping and painting Jacox Elementary School in Norfolk. It's part of Project Makeover Hampton Roads.
"As soon as you walk into this school you can tell it's a school that needs a lot of love. I wanted this project to be a way for our community to get involved in this school," said Nicolle Vasquez Delfavero, a project lead for Project Makeover.
More than 330 volunteers from Thrive, The Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach and Urban Renewal are working to give the school a makeover over the weekend.
"I'm sure it'll look a whole lot nicer," said volunteer Eldair Uitzirico.
"If we want our kids to thrive we need to be able to invest in them, and I think doing a project of this magnitude is preparing our students for the next school year to show them the community cares and invests in them," said Vasquez Delfavero.
The makeover consists of landscaping, updating hallways with more than 20 educational murals, changing up the playground, sprucing up the principal's office, teacher's lounge and more. Volunteers said the bathroom makeover is extra special.
"We have body-positive messages going in each of the bathrooms, both girls and boys. A huge mural in each one and each stall will have messages that say, 'shoot for the stars,' 'be what you want to be' - just really positive messages," said Vasquez Delfavero.
The volunteers are hoping they can spread a message showing even though parts are currently covered in dirt, when the students come back, they'll be covered with love.
"We're all millennials and we put our minds to things and we get stuff done. I think we get a bad rap sometimes, but we're here to get work done and we're really excited to see people our age invested in community projects like this."
