Local heroes: Meet the people working to make the Philly region a better place in 2019

Amid all of the distressing and difficult headlines we encounter every day, let's meet some of the regular people working to make a positive change in their communities.

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Philly-based barber B. Jawuan Jones wanted to give back to the community by giving free haircuts to homeless people. In 2017, he was gifted his own barber shop. Over the next five years, Jones hopes to open a homeless shelter. (Taylor Allen/WHYY News)

Philly-based barber B. Jawuan Jones wanted to give back to the community by giving free haircuts to homeless people. In 2017, he was gifted his own barber shop. Over the next five years, Jones hopes to open a homeless shelter. (Taylor Allen/WHYY News)

Amid all of the distressing and difficult headlines we encounter every day, regular people are working hard to make a positive change in their communities. To kick off 2019, The Why asked reporters around the WHYY newsroom to tell us about some of the people they know who are trying make big changes on small scales all around the Philadelphia region.

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