Volunteers Swing Into Action
The devastation brought by the pre-Christmas tornado and the urgent need for repairs has somewhat overshadowed the laundry list of requests that has already presented itself to the Volunteer Program.
Not to worry! The “fab four” have spread themselves like peanut butter, and continue to work with volunteers from near and far to tackle our clients’ home repair needs.
Badger Catholic, our most recent service group, traveled all the way from Madison, Wisconsin. Badger Catholic is a registered student organization on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus whose goal is to help students lead deeper lives.
Upon arrival, this group of 14 college students was climate shocked. Expecting balmy weather, the freezing temperatures here in northern Mississippi resembled the weather they had just left - some 640 miles to the north!
The young people tackled several job sites during their week in the South.
Helping A Young Mother
Working on plumbing at the Young's home.
For Ms. Hendon, the arrival of the Badger team could not have come soon enough. The group painted, caulked and did some basic weatherizing of the family’s home to help insulate it from the winter cold. To help with heat, Mr. Lee installed wall and baseboard heaters as well, thanks to the generosity of Home Depot.
The bathroom finally received a much-needed facelift. A new shower surround was brought in; new tile, a commode, vanity and fixtures were also installed to make the room usable again. While there, the six volunteers were also able to assist Ms. Hendon in catching up with cleaning tasks that she has been unable to complete due to her diminished physical condition.
Helping a family recovering from a fire
Ms. Hendon's repaired bathroom
The Young family has struggled for some time. A fire in 2014 had gutted a large portion of their home. Thankfully, insurance covered a good part of the restoration. However, it was not enough to complete the kitchen. Daphne, her elderly father, her daughter Robin, and three young grandchildren have been trying to make do. Daphne’s meager check was not enough to pay for the build-out, especially with four other mouths to feed. It was brought to the attention of the Department of Human Services that there had been no kitchen in the home for some time, so they threatened to take away Daphne’s grandchildren if the situation was not remedied soon.
Paul Smith and three more Badgers set out to complete the kitchen. Again, thanks to our relationship with Home Depot, we had all of the major parts to make these repairs possible. Over the course of the week, a new tile floor was installed. Cabinets, countertops and sink rounded out the project.
Helping An Elderly Man Fight Vandalism
Cayce, Amanda, Katie and Ryan deliver a sofa bed to a tornado victim in Holly Springs.
In Holly Springs, Mr. Everest, an older gentleman, has had issues with vandals and break-ins at his home. Thanks to help from the volunteers, five Badgers were able to install a security fence and gate to help keep the mischief at bay.
Our college helpers could not leave without also contributing to the disaster relief efforts. In addition to all of their other wonderful work, they delivered muchneeded furniture and household items to tornado victims.
