Teams work to repair homes of needy
By Stewart Smith
Staff Reporter
Edna Hall’s
prayers were answered last weekend.
Hall’s home had long been plagued by a roof that was quite literally falling
apart and would leak water into both the kitchen and back bedroom, but she
didn’t have the funds available to have it repaired.
Enter the youths of Impact Huntsville.
A faction of the team of 125 youths from 14 Huntsville churches marched up to
Hall’s house and not only replaced the rotting roof but began putting a new
paint job on her house’s exterior walls as well.
“It was such a blessing, I tell you,” Hall said. “You never think that something
like this will happen these days. Most kids don’t ever think to do anything like
that.”
Led by Huntsville’s Promise executive director Scott Atnip, 13 other Huntsville
residents just like Hall had their lawns mowed, porches repaired, floors
replaced and exteriors painted.
“The kids worked extremely hard this year,” said Atnip. “They worked harder this
year in terms of the depth of work than in any previous year by far.”
The impact their projects had on the residents was easily visible, Atnip said,
but it also had a lasting impact on the youths as well.
“It gave them a chance to take ownership of this community,” Atnip said. “They
had the opportunity to see things they had not seen before and work on projects
they had not done before. It gave them a real sense of accomplishment and a
chance to give back to the community.”
Their projects even had an impact on the neighbors.
“They would walk up to us and ask, ‘Why are you doing this? This is amazing,’”
Atnip said.
The participating organizations included First Christian Church, Elkins Lake
Baptist Church, First Baptist Church (Avenue F), First Baptist Church (10th
Street), St. Paul United Methodist Church, Midway Missionary Baptist Church, St.
James United Methodist Church, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Greater Zion
Missionary Baptist Church, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Wesley
Memorial United Methodist Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
SHSU Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Men of God.
Sponsors for the event who either donated materials or provided them at a
significantly discounted cost included McCoys, Able Glass, First State Bank, the
city of Huntsville, Good Shepherd Mission, Forest Glen Christian Camp, Town and
Country Cleaners, State Farm agent Dianna Barnes, State Farm agent James McComb,
Julie Mahlen, Huntsville Pediatric and Adult Medicines Associates.
Huntsville Item, 04.22.07
Huntsville's Promise