CLEARFIELD – As many as 70 local residents will benefit from the work provided by a projected 400 adult and teenage volunteers at the Clearfield Group Workcamp 2010. The Workcamp, scheduled for the week of June 20, will provide free home repairs through the Group Workcamps Foundation program. Central PA Community Action and the Clearfield Ministerium are partnering to sponsor this important program.
The Group Workcamps Foundation is a non-profit, interdenominational Christian volunteer home-repair organization headquartered in Loveland, Colorado. This summer, an anticipated 30,000 young people and adults will participate in 64 Workcamps in communities across the United States and Canada.
At each Workcamp, teenagers and adults from church youth groups, volunteer a week of their time to repair homes throughout the community. “This represents about 12,000 hours of volunteer labor, worth at least $80,000 to the community,” said Tia Lansberry, project manager of Central PA Community Action. “These really are remarkable young people,” said Joel Fay, vice president of Group Workcamps Foundation. “Each one is actually paying for the privilege of working in your community. Workcamp registration fees are used to cover our costs for food, insurance, and building materials.”
The Workcamp will be housed at the Clearfield Middle School, with Workcampers sleeping on classroom floors, eating in the cafeteria, and enjoying evening programs in the gym. “This service to the community would be impossible without the wonderful cooperation of the Clearfield Middle School,” remarked Lansberry. Group Workcamps Foundation will reimburse all costs to the lodging facility.
This is the third time that Central PA Community Action has sponsored Group Workcamp, and the first year partnering with the Clearfield Ministerium. These organizations have been working nearly two years together to make it possible to bring Group Workcamp back to the Clearfield area, through fundraising events and volunteer coordination. “It takes a lot of time and effort to sponsor an event like Group Workcamp. The Clearfield Ministerium’s support and assistance has been vital in the planning of the upcoming Group Workcamp” states Lansberry.
The idea behind the Workcamps started in Colorado in 1977 when residents suffered from the Big Thompson River flood in which hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and over 140 people lost their lives. Church youth groups of many different denominations came from across the country the next summer to help.
In 1978, the program went nationwide to include other disadvantaged areas throughout the country. This summer’s 47 Workcamps will take place in many different states, including but not limited to Michigan, West Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Maine, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Many Workcamps will also take place internationally. Now in it 33rd year of service, Group Workcamps Foundation has hosted nearly 300,000 volunteers who have worked on almost 45,000 projects across the U.S., Canada, Belize, and Puerto Rico.
Repairs offered through the Workcamp include interior and exterior painting, weatherization, porch and wheelchair ramp construction, mobile home skirting, and other work. Residents interested in applying to receive assistance may call Tia Lansberry of Central PA Community Action at 765-1551 or 800-822-2610.