Volunteers gathered to clean an abandoned milk company building over the weekend. They decorated the building with multicolored streamers and balloons -- sharp contrasts to the drab green peeling paint that covered the walls.

It was an effort to make community members look past the building's leaky ceiling and broken windows and imagine it as a youth center that an organization called Ray of Hope plans to open later this year at the Pearce Milk Building, 720 S. Atherton St.

As volunteers gave tours, senior citizens and teens worked side by side to chip away ice and shovel debris under bright sunshine.

"Plenty of rays around here today," said Raymond Williams, executive director of Ray of Hope. "I believe we have been looked upon favorably. This is really a miracle in progress."

To help people envision what the youth center could look like, bright yellow signs were hung labeling what each of the rooms may be turned into. Preliminary plans include a cafeteria, a weight room, a study room, a recording studio for aspiring musicians and an entertainment room with a movie screen. What used to be a giant milk refrigerator may be turned into a basketball court.

Williams said Ray of Hope has four months to come up with $600,000 in order to purchase the building from the owner. It will take another $515,000 to complete renovations.

The cleanup marked the beginning of a campaign called "2,000 Together," which is seeking contributions of at least $500 from 2,000 local groups and individuals.

Art Kreider, of Stormstown, who helped with the cleanup, said although it will take a lot of work to raise the money and renovate the building, the effort will pay off.

"Anything that is worthwhile involves work. It is through work that we appreciate things," he said.

Kreider said the youth center is an important step in reversing what he said is a trend of deteriorating American values.

"We don't need 100,000 police to solve the problem, we need to work on the values within the individual communities," he said. "This center is a step in the right direction," Kreider added.

He said it was symbolic that they selected a run-down building that reflects a history of trespassing during its abandonment. Last year, 10 teens were found in the building with marijuana, knives and a gun.

"That is all in the past," Williams said. "The youth center is a complete reversal. It is a positive thing and we want to focus on that,' he added.

The preliminary plans for the building aren't final. Teens divided into groups Saturday to provide their input for what they want from the youth center. "It's their center," said Ray of Hope member Jim Park. "We don't want to say this is how it's going to be, we just want to have a clean, safe place where they can be, and we don't have to worry about them. The rest is up to them," Park added.

Many of the youth that were there yesterday were anxious to help and excited about getting involved.

"When all that stuff happened with the kids getting caught in here, everyone started complaining, but no one got out and did anything about it," said Dave Young, a student at the Delta Program, 411 S. Fraser St., who said he has encouraged other members of his school to help. "Now here we are."