News 12 at 11, July 21, 2008

AIKEN, S.C. --- The World Changers have been changing homes since 1990. This is their fourth visit to Aiken, and they're making changes one house at a time. It's a lot of hard labor, but students like Patrick Spaugh say it's all worth it.

"You're working in these close neighborhoods and people come by and see us up there on the roof and they're all a bunch of teenagers, they're like why are you guys out here? And it's just great being able to tell them your story. We're just out here spreading the word of Jesus Christ, helping other people like he did," Patrick Spaugh said.

180 volunteers are in Aiken working in several low-income neighborhoods. They're painting houses, replacing roofs and vinyl siding, and putting in new windows.

"We go through our life and we take so much for granted. And then you come here where these people need so much help, and they're so humble and it just humbles you seeing they way they live and the way you can help other people and it's something everybody needs to do," Ashley Wood said.

Most of these volunteers are high school students from ten different churches from Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Mississippi. Some of the students volunteer a week and others travel around for as much as two months during the summer simply serving others. And they're doing it all for nothing in return.

"There are kids out there that really do care about the community and it's great to be out there and show adults that we do care, we do want to give back. Not everybody stays at home and plays video games," Spaugh said.

Patrick says the best part is seeing the homeowners faces when their work is all done.

"They're always just so grateful and it really makes you feel happy to know that you've really truly helped them out. You didn't do it for yourself. You didn't do it for anybody else. You did it for them, and for Jesus Christ and it's an amazing feeling," Spaugh said.

This summer, there's 95 different project spots across the U.S. including Canada and Puerto Rico. And 24,000 students who are spending their summer giving back to those in need.