Carpenter’s Project: “A Very Successful Year”

Last Friday marked the completion of the 16th successful year of the Carpenter’s Project.

Over 230 adults and youth volunteered to assist in the renovation of 75 projects on a total of 46 homes, working from morning until evening all week with a “much needed” half day on Wednesday, Executive Director and volunteer of the project since its fifth year, Steven Miller said.

The groups were broken up into 21 work crews; 10 paint crews, 6 carpentry crews, one cement crew, one brush (trimming) crew, one demolition crew, one power wash crew, and one window crew, with each crew consisting of a mix of youth ages 13-18 working along side of adults.

“It was a very successful year with many participants. It’s truly amazing to see the intergenerational groups working together, teens working along side of senior citizens – all with one goal in mind – to help their neighbors and make the community a better place,” Miller stated.

The carpenters project was started 16 years ago to assist those in the community avoid code enforcement penalties due to the inability to perform or financially support their home’s exterior renovations and upkeep.

Originally starting with support and donations from only nine churches, the organization has over tripled the support, this year with a total of 29 supporting churches.

“As more people hear about it, the project slowly gets bigger every year, and that gives us the ability to take on more projects as the years progress.”

Since homeowners are not required to pay for any of the work or renovation, donations and occasional grants keep the project afloat yearly.

Although the 2017 project has concluded, 2018 is sure to promise another year of success for the Carpenter’s Project.

Photos provided by Steven Miller