Dawson Springs, KY – June 25 – July 1, 2023

This week there were 4 volunteers from Eastern Ohio and 1 volunteer from Western Pennsylvania. Despite the smaller number of weekly volunteers, a lot of work was accomplished and the June goal of getting the 4 houses ready for Summer Youth was accomplished.

This week most of the time was spent on Brittany’s, Lacy’s, and Andrew’s houses. By the end of the week all houses had kitchen cabinets installed, painting completed or well on the way to being finished, and porches’ trim and railings completed.

Mid-week a few of the long-term volunteers for the month of July arrived. Those were Herb Hoover (Project Director), Lou Erb (Office Manager), and Tim Goertzen (Construction Supervisor).

A highlight of the week was having Andrew Masden, his friend, and their children for dinner. They shared their survival stories. Andrew will be a homeowner of one of the houses MDS should have ready for dedication in July. Stacy the case manager with Catholic Charities shared as well.

Right before supper on Friday several volunteer phones started giving severe weather alerts Then we heard the tornado siren and sure enough we were in a tornado warning polygon. We took cover in the narrow hallway of the project building. Through the doorway window we could see vegetative debris and even a barrel blowing across the parking lot. Fortunately, that was the extent of the storm and we enjoyed the delicious meal ½ hour later.

As of Saturday all the long term volunteers for June, except Jonas, will depart for their homes and a new set of long-termers will take place

Respectfully submitted by Roland Stutzman for Bob and Sandy Martin, Rita Friesen, Linda Stutzman, Jonas Schmidt, Leo Martin, and Michael Hogg.