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Birmingham students transform Grandmont Rosedale with goal to bridge Oakland - Wayne County divide

Posted at 3:55 PM, Aug 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-12 15:56:27-04

At first glance, they appear to be your average teenage boys taking in summer.

But, they actually spent their summer creating above average expectations that cross county lines.

"It's just different to see how people in the suburbs like 5 miles away are literally afraid to come south of 8 mile," says Kendall Hall a soon-to-be Senior at Birmingham Groves High School.

In an effort to bridge the divide that is often felt between Oakland and Wayne Counties, Hall and Groves Senior Nathan Lazor Co-founded a group called Project 561. Yes, that is indeed 248 plus 313. 

Rounding out the group, Groves students Ross House and Jack Groves.

These four young men cleaned up trash and cleared five main lots in the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood, and added community gardens, flowers and a family feeling.

"I didn't feel like it was a place she was going to be able to play outside," said resident Tiffany Brown. "Now, we have these volunteers come over here and donate their time and talents to checking on things and making sure things are planted and activities to draw people in."

Project 561 joined the "Neighborhood Way Project" created by the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation with one goal in mind... to blur the line between Oakland and Wayne Counties.

"There is definitely a divide between the counties, but I think it's getting better. All it takes is students to come into a community like this and see how beautiful it is."

Detroit City Councilman James Tate cut the ribbon in the new and improved neighborhood.

With some Seniors in the group, the teens say they won't let graduation get in the way of their goal. They plan to pass down the effort to other students like legacy - until we are all one community.