What A Day...What A Difference!

Rebuilding Together 09 - Eight hours on a partly overcast Saturday, about 80 volunteers, lots of smiles and hard work...IT WAS PRICELESS! It is really hard to convey the feelings which arise while you are participating in something so much larger than yourself. We showed up not knowing our job, since our project was cancelled the night before, but within minutes it was clear what needed to be done. We were assigned to the "Westway" Project, a small community of multiple family homes, many of which needed repair work including gardening and fence building, painting, wiring and plumbing, drywall and replacing appliances. We just jumped right in, and by the time the day was over we had almost completed all of the tasks for each of the three houses (a few small items will get finished this week). The families we helped were there and joined right in, and their kids were as sweet and helpful as could be. And that's what made the day so rewarding, getting a first hand look at the appreciation they all felt for the small tasks we accomplished. That really is the reason volunteering is so important. It is hard for some to keep up with even the smallest parts of their daily lives, but as a goup, it is much easier. It's just as hard to give up a Saturday...until you are there, then the first thought that crosses your mind is...WHAT A PERFECT WAY TO SPEND THE DAY!