Volunteers Work On Free Home Renovations

Nearly 200 youth from Tennessee and Kentucky have been hammering out fresh faces for almost a dozen homes on 5th Avenue. They have been at it since Monday, and they did it all for free. News 3 shows you why they hope a new coat of paint could change some lives.

It’s a job powered by heart, matched with some soul and sealed with sweat.

Volunteers attacked eleven homes on 5th avenue, morphing a home with overgrown weeds and looming trees, into a tidy front with a crisp clean white front porch.

Frances Lockhart has lived on 5th Avenue for over two years. She says, “When they came and knocked on the door and said they were with the Church and they were going to paint a few houses on the block, at first I said I don’t know. Then when he said we’re going to clean the yard, and it’s free of charge, when they said free, I was all for it.”

The project manager says they picked homes with the most immediate need for exterior repairs. It’s a makeover that Lockhart says she is grateful for.  And the volunteers, well, they say working suits their soul.

Clarissa Hayes is from Woodmills First Baptist Church in Union City Tennessee. She told us, “God instills something in your heart, and it’s the ability to work and serve others, and I just really think that once you have that you should spread it to other people.”

Rob Strickland is the Pastor at Highland Community Church on 5th Avenue. His church raised nearly $13,000 in cash and materials to nail this project down.

Strickland says, “Seeing Monday morning, 200 youth show up and know exactly what to do. They move like little ants, and they just carry out their jobs and fulfill their roles in a way that is overwhelming.”

Volunteers set up siding, put a new roof on the Church and painted, taking some pressure off these homeowners.

Hayes says, “It’s kind of like a peace comes over them a little bit, like a burden’s been lifted off their shoulders, in a sense like light has been shown to their world.”

It’s a light volunteers and neighbors hope will be contagious.

Strickland says, “It’s a big loud sermon from the lord we believe.” And Lockhart is still amazed she was a part of it, “I had no clue it would turn out this beautiful.”

The group is made up of 13 churches. They started their work on Monday. They finished up Thursday, but Highland Community Church is still taking donations to help pay for improvements and future community projects.

You can visit http://www.hopeforhighland.org for more information on how to donate to their improvement projects.