CINCINNATI -- At Amicus Children Learning Center, the walls used to be bare. Some were covered with old chalkboards. And they only had a few fans keeping the heat at bay.
That changed, over the summer, when Lowe's on Harrison Avenue offered to help, making Amicus a "hero project" this year. Over the summer, they installed air conditions at the center, which is open year-round and had been 90 degrees inside in June. One student described the heat as being like a desert.
"They are heroes to us, and to this community," said David Booker, the president and CEO of Amicus.
Amicus helps primarily 4- to 12-year-olds, all from low-income families, with tutoring and homework. The students also get to go on some field trips and other activities.
Each Lowe's store picks a project where they partner with a local organization that's in need of some help, according to Andrew Clark, the Florence store's manager.
"It's awesome to be able to give back to the community," he said. "It's one fo the highlights for all of our employees' time."
Now, the store is helping Amicus out again. They're replacing the dusty old chalkboards with new whiteboards, finishing floors, installing new cabinets and vanities in some of the rooms and redoing bathrooms, Clark said. They've also been repainting rooms and redoing the ceiling.
"The families — especially the children when they get there — they see the work being done, and they are so proud," Booker said.
