WORCESTER, Mass. — Twenty-five garden boxes are being decorated at Grant Square Park by young people in Worcester.

It’s part of an effort to uplift the spirits of the community in light of recent gun violence. A man died after a shooting not far from the park last month and a teenager was charged.

"We were trying to figure out what we could do to uplift the kids' mind[s]," Green Hill Neighborhood Association member Winifred Octave said. "Fidelity Bank called me and said, 'We want to do something in your neighborhood, because we haven't done anything and we heard things are happening in your neighborhood.'"

The Green Hill Neighborhood Association said the bank provided a small grant to support the effort. The Regional Environmental Council also helped by providing a community garden to work on.

"When everybody is involved in the community, things change," Waldir Cruz, another Green Hill Neighborhood Association member, said. "Because people outside start looking into the community and things change because the police and all the other organizations look at us as a unified community, to bring a more friendly environment for everyone in the neighborhood."

Octave said it's especially important to have young people play an active role in the healing process as well.

"I said let's do a painting contest," Octave said. "That would be a good thing. The kids would be so proud of putting their little hands on the stuff when they pass there. They would see the stuff that they do and they would feel a sense of pride."

Painting for a better future for city, this group is trying it out one stroke at a time.