Volunteers Swing Into Action
Son Mark embraces his mother, Melanie, who was overcome with emotion at the thought of having a new bathroom.
Brookings volunteer, David, reinforces Melanie’s bathroom floor.
There is something to be said for becoming one with nature. For Melanie, however, the opossum that she found perched on the clothes hamper in her bathroom was a bit much.
The hole in the bathroom floor has been a welcome mat for any number of creepy crawly and slithery creatures lurking about under her trailer. The hole also ushered in all of the cold winter air, while simultaneously escorting out the warm.
On a visit to our Walls Social Service office for food, Melanie explained her situation to Social Service Minister Sr. Janice Richards. She simply could not afford to make repairs.
This single mother of four stretches every penny to the fullest. She works at a convenience store and took on a newspaper route with Emory, her 23-year-old hearing-impaired daughter, to make ends meet. The two of them set out each day in the wee hours of the morning with Emory’s two-year-old son in tow in order to bring in a few extra dollars. Melanie also has three teenage sons— ages 13, 16 and 17. The two oldest boys take turns helping with the grandchild while the two women work their varied shifts. Even with three jobs between them, it is a struggle.
Eldest son Mark is studying for his GED. He wants to be an automobile mechanic. After he receives his certificate and turns 18, he will be able to take the necessary classes to begin his career. Though excited and hopeful for the future, he knows that his absence will be a strain on his two younger brothers.
Last summer, the family moved from a rental property into the singlewide trailer, which they now call home. Melanie paid a modest $500 for the less-than-sound structure so they could decrease the monthly expenditures to just a lot rental fee. Though proud to have something of her own, she knew that the mobile home had some issues. Although the trailer was poorly insulated and a bit worse for wear, Melanie was doing the best she could.
Sr. Janice referred Melanie to our Volunteer Program for help. Thankfully, several groups were scheduled throughout March and could facilitate repairs fairly quickly.
The Brookings University group brought 18 volunteers from snowy South Dakota to the warm, wet Mississippi Delta for spring break. Divided into three smaller teams, each has taken on urgent projects in Walls and Lake Cormorant, one of which was Melanie’s.
I found nursing major, Jenn, and education major, Stephanie, outside Melanie’s trailer on Monday afternoon. Their first day on the job had been very productive. Led by SHSM Project Manager Paul Smith and David, a Brookings chaperone, they had stripped the bathroom down to the studs and begun work on reinforcing the floor. What remained of the original floor was little more than sawdust. Years of wear and water damage had taken its toll. The bathtub lay in two pieces on the ground, along with a cracked sink.
Jenn and Stephanie were bagging the construction debris when Melanie and son Mark drove up. She was astounded by the amount of work that had been completed that day. One could tell that she was tired, but it was almost time for her shift at the convenience store.
“It is just a blessing from heaven,” Melanie exclaimed. “We are so grateful for all this work that you all are doing. I could not have done this by myself.” Mark echoed his mother’s sentiments while she disappeared inside the trailer to check on her other children.
When Melanie returned she motioned toward a loveseat just outside the front door. “I don’t need this sofa any longer,” she said.
“I would like to donate this to you guys; it’s the least I can do for all of this,” she said softly, as a tear rolled down her cheek. How wonderful that, amidst all of her struggles, Melanie wanted to give back to us.
Exuberantly, Melanie raised her arms in the air in celebration. “I’m gonna have a bathroom,” she cried, bursting into tears. Her son, overcome with his mother’s emotion, embraced her tightly, and said, “I love you Mom.”
The Brookings University group will be here through the end of the week. They will be working on Melanie’s bathroom overhaul as well other scheduled projects. Look for pictures of the finished work on Melanie’s home and more client updates in the next issue of “from the Heart.”
