We had a great time with Hope Community Church this past weekend, helping out three homeowners in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, Ralph and Nicola on Friday and LaTina on Saturday. This was a particularly exciting weekend for us as it marked not only our first project in Jefferson-Chalmers but Detroit as a whole. And if our time there this past weekend is any indication of our future in Detroit, it is safe to say that things are looking bright.
On day one at Ralph’s house, volunteers worked both inside and out. On the inside of the house, Ralph got new kitchen flooring, easy to maintain laminate, and a fresh coat of paint in his living room. On the outside, volunteers spent the day laying topsoil and mulch on the perimeter of the house and in flower beds, cleaning gutters and trimming trees that had gotten too close to the house. Ralph even got in on the work, helping remove an old metal awning on the back of the house.
While volunteers were underway at Ralph’s house on Friday, another team was working simultaneously at Nicola’s down the road. Volunteers here focused on the outside of the house, removing overgrown plants and weeds, giving a boost for curbside appeal.
Day two got off to a bit of a rocky start with heavy rain, but even though it delayed the start of the outside work the volunteers persevered and completed everything that needed to be done. On the inside of the house, LaTina’s hallway and bathroom were painted, while volunteers on the outside worked on removing weeds and overgrown trees on the outside. In addition to the landscaping work, one intrepid volunteer teamed up with our program manager, Mike, to help repair the front porch.
All in all, the weekend was a huge success, and none of it would have been possible without our amazing volunteers from Hope Community Church or our wonderful homeowners. We can’t wait to see what our future in Detroit looks like!
For more photos of the wonderful volunteers and the work that they completed, head over to our gallery!