Dawson Springs, KY – Feb. 25 – Mar. 2, 2024

We welcomed volunteers from several different areas of the country this weekend.  Four volunteers arrived from Ohio and fifteen from PA.  We look forward to another great work week!  Jonathan Short from Ohio joined us for one week as a crew leader, as we’re a bit short on crew leaders until several will arrive next weekend.  We’re thankful for his willingness to come on short notice!  We also welcomed Joanne as our new crew leader, who joined us after attending the MDS Annual Celebration in Fresno.  We look forward to her leadership these next four weeks.

Monday morning the sun was shining and the temperatures reached the mid-70’s by afternoon!  Everyone enjoyed this beautiful Kentucky weather, and it was especially appreciated later as Wednesday morning we got a short shower of sleet!

We began our week working at three homes.  Volunteers were busy painting the doors and trim at Alan’s, and at Lisa and Evelyn’s it was time to start the process of insulation and drywall.  So much was accomplished by the end of the day!  At Alan’s on Tuesday there was some mudding and sanding, then lots and lots of painting.  Jonathan led a crew at Evelyn’s where they finished hanging board and started the taping and mudding, which continued all week.  At Lisa’s the volunteers finished the insulation and started the task of hanging the drywall, which continued through the week.   Lila’s house was cleaned and ready for volunteers to install flooring and by the end of the day on Wednesday the flooring was finished and the rest of the week volunteers were putting up trim and baseboard.  The flooring was begun at Alan’s on Wednesday, and volunteers also began reassembling doors and jambs since the painting was completed on those.

Wednesday evening was a special time as Evelyn joined us for our evening meal, along with her daughter Lacy, whom MDS built a house for last year, and several other members of their family.  Evelyn and Lacy both related their “storm stories” with the group and expressed how very blessed and grateful they feel for the gift of a new place to live!  Josh Hipp, coordinator, and Stacey Menser, from Catholic Charities, shared the meal with us also, and each shared a bit about  what their relationship is with MDS and Catholic Charities and what their work involves with the folks from Dawson Springs.  In turn, we value immensely their partnership with us!

It was a great week with wonderful volunteers and great progress on these homes!  The hard part was saying goodbye to our two assistant cooks, Melanie and Michelle, who not only cooked but took turns going out on the jobsites as well!  Thank you so much for all your good work and service here in Dawson Springs!

Dawson Springs Team:  Ron and Char, Melanie, Michelle, Joanne, Mike and Linda