HOMECorp
A group of eight to ten St. Luke’s volunteers and friends painted, hammered, raked, and trimmed shrubs on different projects for Montclair’s HomeCorp last year.
The mission, to spend a day, rebuilding or refurbishing affordable housing for hard-working families whose income would not normally allow them to own a home. One day we had the pleasure of working along side Dematia Watson, a single mother providing sweat equity to purchase a handicapped-accessible home, needed for her wheelchair bound son. Dematia and her son, James, and her daughter, DeJayla, will soon move in to their new Paterson Habitat home. The home is a totally handicapped accessible condo unit, with handicapped-friendly fixtures that take the crisis out of everyday tasks like getting in and out of bed or taking a bath. “It’s a blessing I thank God for every day,” Dematia said. “We’ll have a place where James can move around, and it will be our place, a decent home we can call our own.”
Our scheduled work dates are on Saturdays. Adult volunteers of all skill levels can help. If you are interested, contact John Mennell or Jim Snodgrass. These are hugely rewarding experiences for volunteers. It is rare when an individual has the hands-on opportunity to work on a project which makes such a positive difference in the lives of others. Ask Jinni Rock-Bailey, Debbie VanExel, Chris Landua, Mike Peinovich, John Morey, Andrew Bennett, Jill Egan, Bev Borsi, Jim Snodgrass or John Mennell how they feel about their experiences.
