Repair Affair draws 100 volunteers

Nearly 100 volunteers turned out Saturday morning to spend part of their day helping make the lives of some elderly and disabled Whitley County residents just a little bit better.
Norman Cornelius, coordinator for this year’s Eighth Annual Repair Affair, said eight teams were dispatched to eight locations to fix doors, paint porches, and fix gutters among other projects for needy Whitley County residents.
“It just feels good to be able to help a family that otherwise could not do it. The fact that we can come in, and help them is a wonderful feeling,” said Danielle Jackson, who was one of 10 people participating as part of the Williamsburg Nursing Home’s team Saturday.
Jackson said her team helped paint a porch and replaced some gutters on one home, and washed the deck of another home, which was stained by sap from an apple tree.
“Just giving back to the community is what it is all about,” said Mike Johnson, vice-president of the Williamsburg Kiwanis Club, which also participated in the event Saturday.
This year’s volunteers included about 60 Whitley County residents, and about 40 volunteers from Mission of Hope, an Appalachian relief ministry based in Knoxville which also donated building supplies and money for the project.
“We didn’t get to do as many homes as we did last year because the volunteerism is down, and the donations are down. We can’t work on as many homes unless we have more money,” Cornelius said.
The Williamsburg Kiwanis Team and the Williamsburg and Pleasant View Methodist churches teamed up for the second year in a row this year to replace a porch for a Williamsburg resident, in addition to fixing the back steps and railing on the home and repainting part of the home.
“We just feel that it is a wonderful opportunity to get out, and help somebody that is in need,” said Ward Wilson, who was a volunteer for the Methodist church group. “This family can’t really afford to have their porch redone and the painting that needs to be done. It’s a way of serving, and that’s what Christ said we needed to do was serve. Bell-Whitley has given us a wonderful opportunity to do that.”
Peggy Capps, Executive Director for Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency, said she was pleased with the turnout Saturday, and is pleased to have seen how much the program has grown over eight years.
“We started out with a very small grant from Kentucky Housing that we had to match dollar for dollar,” Capps said. “That lasted for about three years, and since then we have been on our own.
“All the money has been raised locally from local donations. It keeps growing every year, and that says a lot for the people in the community.”
In order to apply for help through the program, a participant must be disabled or at least 60 years old, have a low income, and have a dire need for something they can’t afford to get done them selves.
This year there were 12 applicants for the program.
“Those four that we didn’t get will be rolled over until next year, and we will try to get to them next year. They are on a waiting list, which is how it works,” Cornelius said.
“Hopefully, we can get it to grow, and get it bigger each year,” Cornelius said. “Every volunteer that I have ever known that has taken part in this wants to come back next year. It is just so rewarding to do something for someone that can’t do it for themselves.”
Groups participating in this year’s Repair Affair, included: Mission of Hope, Jellico Stone, Williamsburg Nursing Home, First State Financial, Cumberland Valley National Bank, Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency, Williamsburg Kiwanis Club, and Williamsburg and Pleasant View Methodist churches.