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07/22/2008 07:30 AM

 

The Carpenters Project July 22, 2008 ECO staff - Eric Johnson, Student Journalist The week of Monday July 14th, I volunteered for a temporary new job. That job was the Carpenters Project. A while back a friend of mine, Jocelyn Dombeck, introduced me to the Carpenters Project. Soon after I overheard discussion about the Carpenters Project at work, it was then when I decided I would look into this project more. After contacting the parents of the Carpenters Project, Marsha and Chuck Timblin, I immediately turned in a form to participate in this event. The Carpenters Project began 7 years ago and certain participants have been in the program since its birth. One of these participants include Kenny Pschirer, 18, has been participating in the Carpenters Project since its inception. “I’ve been doing the Carpenters Project since I was entering the eighth grade and that’s when it started, I was just old enough to qualify to be in it,” Pschirer says. While on one of the water breaks, Pschirer indulges in memories of the past projects with others and myself. Pschirer is to attend California University in the Fall of this year and says he hopes to continue the project through college. Calvin Presbyterian Church rounds up kids and adults from the ages of 13 and up to help out with the project. Every day at least 200 kids and adults showed up at Calvin Presbyterian Church for breakfast. First, the kids would come sign in. On the first day each participant received two Carpenter Project T-shirts. Then they continued into the dining hall and made their own nametags. They then are offered a variety of breakfast foods such as bagels, donuts, pop-tarts, and cereal bars and had either apple, orange, or grape juice to follow. The morning then was followed by a sermon by one of the pastors that was in the church and then the kids sang familiar church songs. After the praying and breakfast was completed, the kids journeyed off to their designated jobs. There were well over fifty jobs that needed to be completed. Some of the jobs that were included were scraping old paint, painting, replacing carpets, taking off shudders, and even trimming bushes. These were all jobs that needed to be completed in the 90- degree weather last week. Every day around noon, one of the members would come around to your job and delivered lunches such as hoagies and they brought chips and drinks along also. The kids didn’t waste any time sitting around after lunch, they hopped back on their jobs. During these hot days it was very important to keep hydrated so it was mandatory that each participant took a ten minute water break with the cooler filled with water that was provided by the church. As the days began to end, each group packed up their supplies and returned to the church to drop off paint, ladders, and tools used. Then students marched up the street to the Catholic Center for dinner. The dinner included two different types of homemade pizza, meatball subs, salad, dinner rolls, macaroni, and various deserts for after. After dinner, the kids went home and prepared for another day of hard respected work. The end of the week was followed by a big picnic located at the Catholic Center for all participants and their families. The homeowners of the houses that were fixed were very pleased and thankful for the jobs well done. The Carpenters Project hopes to see more volunteers next year.