05/04/11 Rebuilding Together of Marshall County and Lowe’s teamed up to make needed repairs on homes for local residents on Saturday. They joined with groups all over the country where some 3,500 homes were slated for work .
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation donated a $5000 grant to help fund the projects. This year volunteers were from First United Methodist Church, Blueberry Festival board, Trinity United Methodist Church, CentryLink employees, Plymouth Church of the Brethren and Evangelical Covenant Church.
Rebuilding Together’s National Rebuilding Day occurs every year on the last weekend in April.
Many of those working in Plymouth stepped out of their everyday roles in the community to do whatever they could. Among those was Tim Grace of Trinity United Methodist Church. This is the 10th year that Grace has been involved in the projects. Grace pulled together volunteers from Trinity and Pretty Lake United Methodist, including a number of teenage volunteers.
Crews returned to the home of Della and Daniel Creighbaum on Fifth Street for the second year in a row. Della must use a wheelchair to move inside or outside the home and Daniel can only walk with the aide of a walker. In addition to fixing a leaky kitchen faucet, painting and repairing a wall, yard work, a new door installation and other repairs, handrails were installed on the sides of a ramp that serves as the only way for the couple to leave their home. Della Creighbaum said, “It’s just wonderful to have them here. They are all so nice.” “We will feel so much safer with railings.” she said.
Nine young people from Trinity along with adult volunteers raked and bagged leaves and cleaned out flower beds from all around the Creighbaum’s house. The youth were participating in a 30-hour famine exercise. Youth leader Jaclynn Loving was back for the second year. Last year, before gradating from Plymouth High School, she was one of the group volunteers and this time, she took on a leadership role. Loving said, “It is good for them to see what it’s like to be able to help those in need. Each of them was assigned a “disability” role that was like people in Haiti might have to live with each day.”
Curtis Marie Harrell said she would like to be able to fix things around her Lake Ave. home, but said she can no longer climb or move things by herself. She said her carport was becoming dangerous and a side porch was in desperate need of windows and ceiling repairs. As a bonus, local gardening enthusiast Mary Ann Peters planted flowers in the front of the home. Harrell said, “This is such a big, big help. I can’t thank them enough.”
Mike Woolfington and other volunteers from First United joined with Blueberry Festival board members to rehab a home in Hibbard. Several of the group went to the home on Friday to remove flooring that was replaced on Saturday. They also did considerable painting.
Nearly 50 volunteers from First United banned together in a celebration of the church’s 175th anniversary. Their “Share the Spirit Day” included many projects to clean up around the church and in the downtown area.
Several members of the church’s Social Concerns Committee spent the morning making sandwiches and other items for 100 sack lunches that were distributed to all of those working for Rebuilding Together.
Carol Anders Correspondent
