Hearts & Hands at Camp Joy
CAMP JOY 2005
This year marked the 15th
year that Hearts & Hands members participated in
CAMP JOY is a missions
project, founded in 1990 by the Hancock (MD) United Methodist Church, that
brings together church youth groups to repair the homes of the disadvantaged,
elderly, and sick in the tri-state region of West Virginia, Maryland, and
Pennsylvania. The program focuses on
safety, warmth, and independence when choosing qualified home owners
Our Projects
We had our work cut out for
us this year! With 12 youth, 4 Church
youth leaders, 3 college youth, 2 adult chaperones, and 4 adult site
coordinators, we had the ambitious schedule of working on six different work sites.
ˇ
Project
site #1 (3 days, 7 team members)
o
Removed
6 storm windows and replaced them with new double-hung windows
o
Repair
the front screen door.
Homeowner
was very pleased and couldn’t believe that a handful of youth could
perform such skilled work. The group
then was transferred to a home in Paw Paw,
ˇ
Project
site #2 (3 days, 7 team members)
o
Replaced
3 windows
o
Installed
new kitchen faucet
o
Repaired
front porch that had been in very poor condition and was infested with
carpenter ants. The team replaced all
affected joists with pressure treated lumber and installed new porch
decking.
The
homeowner, who has diabetes and is confined to a wheelchair, was greatly
appreciative of the work completed.
ˇ
Project
site #3 (3 days, 9 team members)
o
Replaced
a front porch and smaller side porch that were completely disintegrated due to
rotten timbers
o
Installed
a new front door
The
location of this home was in a “holler” in Paw Paw and presented
special challenges in getting materials to the site.
ˇ
Project
site #4 (2 days, 4 team members)
o
Installed
a new storm door
o
Installed
a concrete slab off the back deck
o
Repaired
aluminum screen door on the side porch.
The
head of this household had just been diagnosed with colon cancer, and his
mobility was limited. The work we did
helped him enjoy a greater level of independence at home.
ˇ
Project
site #5 (1 day, 5 team members)
o
Installed
a railing around a 24’x12’ deck that was started by another
The
homeowner appreciated the work done by both teams, but especially appreciated
the railing because the deck is 3 feet off the ground, and the railing allows
her grandchildren to play on the deck safely.
ˇ
Project
site #6 (4˝ days, 8 team members)
o
Made
major repairs to the bathroom when it was discovered that there was virtually
no sub flooring due to a hairline crack in the bathtub that disintegrated the
floor - installed new sub flooring, new vinyl flooring, new bathtub and toilet,
new drain system, new insulation and wire mesh to support insulation and keep animals from entering the trailer
o
Sealed
holes in the metal roof
o
Installed
new storm doors
o
Rebuilt
hall floor
This
was our most challenging project.
Because it was a trailer, the team members had limited space in which to
work. The work had been started by the
fiancé of the homeowner’s daughter, but he died earlier this year, and no
one else had been able to complete the work.
The homeowner was so happy and grateful; she said it looked like a
"whole new house.” We
recommended that the homeowner submit another application for work to be done
next year to address repair needs in the kitchen and living room.
The
Breakfast was served at
camp at
At camp, we slept in tents
and took turns cleaning the upper pavilion and bathrooms with the other church
groups. Each night after dinner we returned to the camp site or to a designated
church in Berkeley Springs for a vespers service planned by different church
groups.
On Wednesday, we stopped
working at
2005
Youth: Samantha Ascanio, Rebecca Fischer, Maya Green, Sarah
Hepp, Jennifer Hughson,
Glynns Jarrett-Coker, Niana Kim, Scott Leighty, Charlotte
Robinson, William Scholl, Gina Sherman, Alka Singh
College Students: Jason Green, Peter McAdams, Eric Pauley
Youth Leaders: Carly Samuelson, Mike Skinker, Phillip Utterback, Sarah Jane Weaver
Chaperones:
Adult Site Coordinators: Andy D’Aloisio, Dave Hughson, Phil Rogers, Kevin White
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