Brian C. Horton
Published Articles: CCM spring break 2011
Students at PSC spend their spring break helping others. This article was published in the Virginia Gazette as well as Cumberland Times News(MD) and the Mineral Daily News-Tribune(WV) and others.
By Brian Horton, journalism student at PSC
Members of Potomac State College (PSC) of West Virginia University’s Campus & Community Ministries (CCM) Club spent their Spring Break vacation helping to repair two homes in the Williamsburg, Va area. The group worked in collaboration with Housing Partnerships, Inc., an agency that assists low income and disabled individuals with home repairs as well as emergency projects.
The group left Keyser Sunday, March 20 and stayed until Friday, March 25. Everyone worked approximately 40 hours, each, for the week, repairing different areas of homes for a retired couple and a disabled veteran.
“The students from Potomac State seem to get better every year. This group worked hard and would get upset if they were pulled away from the work site early,” said Pastor Jim McCune of Grace United Methodist Church, who serves as one of the advisors to the club. “Their work ethic was over the top.”
The participants consisted of 11 students, six campus/community staff (two of which are skilled craftsman), and one PSC alumna, Wilma Cameau. Williamsburg United Methodist Church offered space in the basement of the church for the group to sleep overnight. Some of the meals throughout the week were donated by the local Chick-fil-A and Pizza Hut.
The first site of repair was for a retired couple who needed their roof replaced because of dry-rotting which also required repair to the damaged interior ceiling. The wheelchair ramp, the ramp railings, and two porches were also repaired as well as repainted all repairs.
The second site, the home of a disabled veteran, involved the removal of a rotted kitchen floor and replacing it, along with the installation of new cabinets, and painting the interior of the house. According to Pastor McCune, the floor was so dry-rotted that one of the students fell through the floor; however, there were no injuries.
Pastor McCune said, “We got away from the site on the last day later than what was planned because the students wanted to finish the floor. They realized it wouldn’t be safe if left undone.”
“I almost wanted to cry because we had worked so hard to help these people and then we just had to leave,” said Katelyn Eichelberger, president of CCM at PSC.
The supplies came from Housing Partnerships, Inc. who assists in these kinds of repair jobs for low income and disabled people as well as emergency projects.
Brandie Weiler of the Housing Partnerships, Inc. said, “This group was very high energy. Typical of PSC crews, they would work quicker than the supplies could come in.”
The group did get to enjoy recreational activities around their working schedules such as participating in a ghost tour, a cookout, and early morning walks around historical Williamsburg, and a late afternoon visit to Virginia Beach. Additionally, they also helped to organize and raise money for an annual 5K race for the Housing Partnership, Inc.
According to the CCM’s Facebook page, CCM works to perform services not only on the Potomac State College campus, but within Mineral County, and throughout the country.
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