KTKA

As these teens work to winterize her home, Carol Geier dresses the youngest of six for chilly weather. Carol is grateful to have a place for her girls to live.

"Before we moved in here, we had been homeless since June," says Carol.

The teens are from schools throughout the Capital City. They are putting plastic over the windows, weather stripping doors and installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs. It's all in an attempt to keep the cold out and the heat in and make this house more energy efficient.

Carol says, "Hopefully, it will help some with us being able to afford utilities better. 'Cause with six kids, everything helps."

This is the first time Community Action has asked for the help of young people like Sabrina Ochoa.

She says, "You get to help other families out that can't really afford to put stuff over their windows and for their sockets."

And though they've learned all of these skills in a weatherization class, this is the first time they've put their knowledge into action.

"When we've actually been out here, maybe they paid more attention than we thought. They're doing pretty good," Antioch Resource Center's Ben Gockel says.

For Sabrina, it's not just a day out of school, it's a way to make a difference.

"It's always great to help out somebody that you don't know. You know they could always do something for you or...it's just nice to do that," says Sabrina.

Carol says, "It's nice because...we probably wouldn't be able to do it on our own."

Community Action will hold a free weatherization seminar this Thursday at the Swygart Center.

To learn how to winterize your home, go to Community Action's Web site, www.cactiontopeka.com or log onto the Kansas Association of Community Action Programs' Web site, www.kacap.org.