PHOTOS: 50 Houses Fixed By Carpenter’s Project

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

It started with a need in our community, and within 18 years it has become a community-wide project.

The Carpenters Project started when a group of people in Calvin Presbyterian Church were talking to the man in charge of enforcing the borough’s codes for homes and noticed an issue.

“We knew there was a need,” said one of the founders of the Carpenter Project Marsha Timblin. “There were fixes that needed to be made but not enough money to do them.”

This year marks the 18th year of the week-long project. Director Steven Miller estimates that the volunteers had fixed around 50 houses this time around. The project had 225 volunteers this year, the number being split up into crews. Out of the 225 people, over 100 volunteers helped in other behind the scene aspects, while the rest were split into 20 crews; 9 for painting, 6 for carpentry, 2 for power washing homes, 1 demolition crew, 1 window crew, and 1 lawn crew. Community members as young as 13 came out to assist in this project. Each crew held at least 3 to 15 people. Within the masses, 28 churches from our area also offered their support.

“It’s so wonderful to see people from different churches come out to help,” said Director Steven Miller.

There were 65 youth participants (age ranging from 13-18) and 59 adults. The age range for adults changes mostly every year, Miller referring to is as a “multi-generational group” of volunteers. Most people have been doing this for years, while some mark this as their first year. Miller has been involved for 8 years.

“I’m amazed every year at the number of youth volunteers,” said Timblin. “Our kids are amazing.”