TOLEDO, Ohio — Beautifying Toledo - it's a mission two friends are taking to heart - hoping to clean up some blighted areas of town. Sy Kreais and Louis Morales are neighbors and friends.
Together, they came up with the idea to beautify an old rundown lot on the corner of Chestnut and Michigan.
"We spent many hours working on this, and we keep it this way all year long,” said Kreais a 50-year resident of north Toledo.
Morales, whose lived in the area for about 6 years, stressed the hard work they've put into the project.
“Blood, sweat, and tears, back-breaking - and I've had a lot of help. It's not just him and I; his son, his grandson, my brother. I have people come through here and give us their assistance,” said Morales.
Once upon a time, a house sat on this property - until it was abandoned and ultimately torn down. The property was forgotten and quickly became an eyesore for all to see.
Sy and Louis got tired of that until they got an idea.
The pair purchased the land and transformed it into a beautiful landscape for the neighborhood to enjoy.
"I hope to see a nice area for people to take pride in the neighborhood,” said Kreais.
With their own money and a little help from the city the friends have planted trees and displayed flags that represent Ohio, the city of Toledo and our first responders. This project has been in the works for almost three years. They say, after all, a masterpiece is never truly finished.
"I think we'll continue to change it. I think we'll continue to add things again. We've been blessed with so many things in this area. People don't understand and I wish they would. I wish they would just look for it,” said Morrales.
Sy and Louis want people to know, no matter what side of town you live in, always take pride in your neighborhood.