Teen has new view of Detroit after doing home 'makeover'

Missouri teen has a new view of Detroit after she helped re-do the Detroit home of a single mother.

Excerpt:

Willis is one of dozens of young people who slept in the gym at Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church in Redford while renovating the Detroit home of a single mother who recently lost her job.

“My friends wondered why I was going to Detroit,” said Willis, who will be a senior high school student this fall in Marshall, Mo., about an hour's drive east of Kansas City. They were all aware of Detroit's reputation, she said, and they were convinced she'd get hurt.
She didn't get hurt, said Willis.

“I really enjoyed myself,” she added.

And the experience changed the way she thought about the Motor City.

“The people are so nice,” said Willis, a member of the First Baptist Church of Marshall.

Willis decided to come to Detroit — rather than an area of St. Louis or another community in her home state — because she likes to travel. She could help repair houses closer to home, she said. But she wanted an experience in a different state.

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