On October 28, Cricket Wireless volunteers gathered at the Cass Community Social Services building in Detroit to help refurbish their gym. After gathering inside, the group started their work, with the majority working in the gym. Volunteers worked on cleaning dust off the gym pads, behind the grated windows and floors. When they finished cleaning up around the gym, the volunteers started on the walls, using ladders, paintbrushes and rollers with extension rods to reach the high walls above the padding.
Things in the gym were already starting to look great early on in the day, but there was still more work to be done. Another batch of fearless volunteers used machinery to reach the ceiling, painting the ceilings with rollers connected to extension rods. They also closed one of the lamp covers, which had come loose over the years. As they painted, other volunteers cleaned up paint droplets that fell, keeping the wooden floors clean.
Erstwhile, volunteers went to the organization’s main building and began staining the front deck, where their clients and other visitors enter. After finishing with that, they also installed a new bench and secured the railings, giving workers and clients a safe place to take a break. They also removed graffiti that defaced the property, making the building a more welcoming place.
During the lunch break, volunteers met with the head of the organization, Reverend Faith Fowler. She expressed her thanks and spoke a bit about Cass Community Social Services’ history and mission. The volunteers getting to hear about the organization only deepened the work they did that day, providing context for who and why they did the work that they did. After Reverend Fowler spoke, the volunteers resumed their work and finished everything that was on the work scope. We hope to work with them again in the future!