Published: July 01, 2009 10:51 pm      

Camp volunteers a friend indeed for people in need

CUMBERLAND — Shirley Davis’ three children are grown and gone, leaving her alone in a big house on Columbia Street.

The paint is peeling. The front porch is rotten.

“I have nobody, really,” said Davis, who lives with her 11-year-old Pomeranian, named Cricket. “The guy who used to do handyman work moved out of town, so that left me huntin’ for somebody. I haven’t found anybody.”

On Tuesday, a team of amateur carpenters found her.

About 125 teenagers from across the region are visiting Allegany County this week for Camp Hope, an annual volunteer program to provide home improvements for elderly, disabled and low-income residents.

Sponsored by Frostburg United Methodist Church, the camp continues through the end of July, with new groups of 125 visiting each week, “camping” at Frostburg State University dormitories.

By the end of the month, about 450 campers will have made improvements to about 60 houses, said Charlie Yarnall, Camp Hope organizer.

“It’s really cool to see at the end of the week what you’ve done,” said Jenny Schmit, 17, who used a roller to apply red paint to bricks on the back of Davis’ house. She traveled to Allegany County with 16 youth and seven adults from Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Highland in Howard County.

Like Schmit, who’s attended Camp Hope for three years, adult leader Art Jacques has made it an annual outing.

“It’s a social experience,” said Jacques, an aeronautical engineer and around-the-house handyman who’s attended Camp Hope for 13 years.

“It’s a religious experience. It’s a work ethic kind of thing. … We tell the kids, it’s important to get the job done, but it’s important that you meet with the homeowners and hear their stories. You can really learn from their experiences.”

Homeowners apply for the program in the spring and must meet certain qualifications, Yarnall said.

“We review the applications, and I usually visit the home,” said Yarnall, who has coordinated the camp since its inception in 1977. “It depends on income, but also on their personal situation. Sometimes they’ll have health issues or other problems.”

Davis, who lives on Social Security and retirement, saw the program advertised in the newspaper, but didn’t realize it was sponsored by churches.

“I was really surprised,” she said, adding that she knew churches helped members of their own congregations — but not others. “They’re very nice people, very friendly. They’re industrious. I tell you, they work, these young people.”

Volunteers pay for their room and board, and churches pay for supplies, Yarnall said. Evening meals are provided for campers by about 25 area churches, which also offer a space for evening vespers.

Home improvement jobs run the gamut.

“We built a 75-foot ramp for a wheelchair last year,” said Ken Rabenstein, an adult leader from Pasadena United Methodist Church, who helped a small team of youth paint the inside of a house on Blackiston Avenue.

Fifteen-year-old Allen Shank had white paint smudges on his T-shirt, shorts and legs.

“It’s nice to help people,” said Shank, who attended Camp Hope for the first time last year. “Most of the people really need the help.”

Contact Kristin Harty at kharty@times-news.com.