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1,000 Volunteers Pitch In For 'Week Of Caring'

MADISON HEIGHTS (WWJ) - One Farmington Hills-based company is swapping horsepower for people power this week in an effort to make metro Detroit cleaner and greener.

On Monday, about 20 volunteers from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services' IT department got together to do some rehab on a home on Osmond Street in Madison Heights.

They wore matching T-shirts with "ROI" printed on the back. Yohan Swart, Senior Manager of IT for the company, explained it's part of their "Week of Caring" campaign.

"RIO stands normally for return on investment, but equally important for us is return on involvement," Swart said. "You know, that's really giving back to the community ...It's really something that's close to our heart as an organization."

Swart said they've worked on similar projects over the last few years.

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(credit: Vickie Thomas/WWJ)

"It's great to get out, get involved," he said. "And, you know, we see something happening here. After a hard days work you can see some good results."

Habitat for Humanity CEO for Oakland County, Tim Ruggles, and his crew joined the Mercedes-Benz Financial team on the roof, removing old shingles Monday morning.

Monday through Friday this week, more than 1,000 employees from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services locations in five countries across the Americas are teaming up with 30 nonprofit agencies for the "Week of Caring," taking on community projects to benefit families in need, provide education to underserved youth and beautify communities.

Along with the Habitat work, other projects include Urban Neighborhood Initiatives at Weiss Park and Greening of Detroit in the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood near Grand River and Fenkell.

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