Homeowners Receive Improvements During Day of Caring
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
There were a total of 73 homes worked on by volunteers from local businesses, organizations and Grace College students. There were 17 homes inside the Warsaw city limits, 17 outside the Warsaw city limits, six in Etna Green, 14 in Mentone, eight in Milford, five in Leesburg, three in Winona Lake and three in Burket.
The committee for the 2012 United Way Day of Caring included United Way of Kosciusko County, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, Kosciusko Senior Services, Grace College and DePuy.
There were steps and handicapped ramps built at six mobile homes in Brown’s Mobile Home Park, 2798 S. Country Club Road, Warsaw.
Loren, and his wife Honey, Pruitt were one of several trailer owners who received work by volunteers.
Honey has been disabled since 1997 and previously took care of elderly people in their homes. Loren previously worked at RR Donnelleys for seven years and retired in 2010.
Volunteers from Zimmer and Grace College worked on installing a wheelchair ramp, painted the Pruitts’ trailer and shed and their roof was resealed.
Honey has a wheelchair and a walker to get around, and said the wood on the old ramp had rotted.
She said she is looking forward to getting in and out of the house more easily, going shopping and getting her mail using the new wheelchair ramp.
April Heckman, a Zimmer employee, said this year was her second year for participating in Day of Caring.
Heckman assisted with painting the Pruitts’ trailer.
“I think it is important to give back to the community and it is rewarding to see everyone pulling together,” Heckman said.
Josh Mahler, Zimmer employee, worked with other volunteers to install a wheelchair ramp at Pruitts’ home.
“The previous wheelchair ramp they had would fall through, then they went across it and it was unlevel,” Mahler said.
Mahler said he was glad to help the Pruitts.
Chinges Saboi, a junior Grace College graphic design student, helped with resealing the Pruitts’ roof and painting the shed and trailer. It was his first time for participating in Day of Caring.
“It’s my pleasure to help this couple because a lot of people have helped me and it is about giving back to the community,” Saboi said.
The Pruitts’ next door neighbor, Martha Richardson, 81, received a new wheelchair ramp. Her gutters were cleaned and the shed was repainted.
Volunteers from DePuy and Grace College students volunteered at Richardson’s trailer.
Although Richardson does not need a wheelchair, she gets around with a cane and walker. She said the new ramp will help her to get around more easily.
Greg Cloutier, DePuy, said it was his third year for participating in the Day of Caring. He assisted with building the wheelchair ramp.
“This is a wonderful feeling to have her life be so much easier so she can leave the house more comfortably and walk up and down the ramp easier,” Cloutier said.
Richardson has lived in the trailer for the past 17 years. She said the only income she has coming in is her Social Security check. Her husband passed away in 2001.
“This is wonderful and this will help me with the ramp because I had trouble getting up the steps,” Richardson said. “There are a lot of people around here who need help. They have only so much money coming in and are on Social Security and you can’t afford to have someone do this for you.”
Shawn Mason, a sophomore Grace College youth ministry major, said it was his first year for participating in Day of Caring. Mason assisted in installing the deck extension for the wheelchair ramp.
“This is great to help and lets us as students get out in the community and show Christian values of serving others for a whole day and making time for them,” Mason said.
There also were trailers in Westhaven Estates in Warsaw that received repairs.
Bowen Center employees and Grace College students constructed new steps outside the trailer, recoated the roof and did landscaping work at 3762 W. Old 30. The trailer was the home of Carmen King.
King said she has lived in the trailer for five years and is employed at Smart Styles Salon. She is a single mother to two children.
“It is great to have the volunteers here and I have not been able to afford to get the work done myself,” King said.
Cheryl Shepherd, Bowen Center employee, said it was her first time for participating in Day of Caring.
“It is awesome that we can come together and help Carmen out, and it is fun for us to help in the community and this is a way to give back and do teamwork,” Shepherd said.
Mandy Fischer, a senior graphic design major at Grace College, participated in the Day of Caring for the first time.
“I think it is great that all these different organization can come together and help out in the community,” Fischer said.
Work also was done at the home of Ginko Haney, 418 S. High St., Warsaw. She came to Warsaw from Japan in the early 1960s and worked at Zimmer, retiring in 1998, and worked with Warsaw teachers when they taught about Japan over the years.
Volunteers from DePuy and Millwood Construction, Milford, reroofed Haney’s garage, built a handrail on the outside of her home and tore up the kitchen carpet to have new carpet installed.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer painted a handrail for Haney, and Warsaw city councilwoman Diane Quance installed a smoke detector at the home.
Thallemer said neighborhood revitalization is something the city is trying to do.
“Day of Caring is a great program that has been going for several years, and the whole idea is neighborhood revitalization, and this is a people-helping-people initiative,” Thallemer said. “We are trying to strengthen those initiatives and improve the Housing Authority’s position to do more of these things.”
Haney said she appreciated the work.
“This is very wonderful to have this work done because I have not been able to afford to do this work on my own because all I have is Social Security,” Haney said.[[In-content Ad]]
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There were a total of 73 homes worked on by volunteers from local businesses, organizations and Grace College students. There were 17 homes inside the Warsaw city limits, 17 outside the Warsaw city limits, six in Etna Green, 14 in Mentone, eight in Milford, five in Leesburg, three in Winona Lake and three in Burket.
The committee for the 2012 United Way Day of Caring included United Way of Kosciusko County, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, Kosciusko Senior Services, Grace College and DePuy.
There were steps and handicapped ramps built at six mobile homes in Brown’s Mobile Home Park, 2798 S. Country Club Road, Warsaw.
Loren, and his wife Honey, Pruitt were one of several trailer owners who received work by volunteers.
Honey has been disabled since 1997 and previously took care of elderly people in their homes. Loren previously worked at RR Donnelleys for seven years and retired in 2010.
Volunteers from Zimmer and Grace College worked on installing a wheelchair ramp, painted the Pruitts’ trailer and shed and their roof was resealed.
Honey has a wheelchair and a walker to get around, and said the wood on the old ramp had rotted.
She said she is looking forward to getting in and out of the house more easily, going shopping and getting her mail using the new wheelchair ramp.
April Heckman, a Zimmer employee, said this year was her second year for participating in Day of Caring.
Heckman assisted with painting the Pruitts’ trailer.
“I think it is important to give back to the community and it is rewarding to see everyone pulling together,” Heckman said.
Josh Mahler, Zimmer employee, worked with other volunteers to install a wheelchair ramp at Pruitts’ home.
“The previous wheelchair ramp they had would fall through, then they went across it and it was unlevel,” Mahler said.
Mahler said he was glad to help the Pruitts.
Chinges Saboi, a junior Grace College graphic design student, helped with resealing the Pruitts’ roof and painting the shed and trailer. It was his first time for participating in Day of Caring.
“It’s my pleasure to help this couple because a lot of people have helped me and it is about giving back to the community,” Saboi said.
The Pruitts’ next door neighbor, Martha Richardson, 81, received a new wheelchair ramp. Her gutters were cleaned and the shed was repainted.
Volunteers from DePuy and Grace College students volunteered at Richardson’s trailer.
Although Richardson does not need a wheelchair, she gets around with a cane and walker. She said the new ramp will help her to get around more easily.
Greg Cloutier, DePuy, said it was his third year for participating in the Day of Caring. He assisted with building the wheelchair ramp.
“This is a wonderful feeling to have her life be so much easier so she can leave the house more comfortably and walk up and down the ramp easier,” Cloutier said.
Richardson has lived in the trailer for the past 17 years. She said the only income she has coming in is her Social Security check. Her husband passed away in 2001.
“This is wonderful and this will help me with the ramp because I had trouble getting up the steps,” Richardson said. “There are a lot of people around here who need help. They have only so much money coming in and are on Social Security and you can’t afford to have someone do this for you.”
Shawn Mason, a sophomore Grace College youth ministry major, said it was his first year for participating in Day of Caring. Mason assisted in installing the deck extension for the wheelchair ramp.
“This is great to help and lets us as students get out in the community and show Christian values of serving others for a whole day and making time for them,” Mason said.
There also were trailers in Westhaven Estates in Warsaw that received repairs.
Bowen Center employees and Grace College students constructed new steps outside the trailer, recoated the roof and did landscaping work at 3762 W. Old 30. The trailer was the home of Carmen King.
King said she has lived in the trailer for five years and is employed at Smart Styles Salon. She is a single mother to two children.
“It is great to have the volunteers here and I have not been able to afford to get the work done myself,” King said.
Cheryl Shepherd, Bowen Center employee, said it was her first time for participating in Day of Caring.
“It is awesome that we can come together and help Carmen out, and it is fun for us to help in the community and this is a way to give back and do teamwork,” Shepherd said.
Mandy Fischer, a senior graphic design major at Grace College, participated in the Day of Caring for the first time.
“I think it is great that all these different organization can come together and help out in the community,” Fischer said.
Work also was done at the home of Ginko Haney, 418 S. High St., Warsaw. She came to Warsaw from Japan in the early 1960s and worked at Zimmer, retiring in 1998, and worked with Warsaw teachers when they taught about Japan over the years.
Volunteers from DePuy and Millwood Construction, Milford, reroofed Haney’s garage, built a handrail on the outside of her home and tore up the kitchen carpet to have new carpet installed.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer painted a handrail for Haney, and Warsaw city councilwoman Diane Quance installed a smoke detector at the home.
Thallemer said neighborhood revitalization is something the city is trying to do.
“Day of Caring is a great program that has been going for several years, and the whole idea is neighborhood revitalization, and this is a people-helping-people initiative,” Thallemer said. “We are trying to strengthen those initiatives and improve the Housing Authority’s position to do more of these things.”
Haney said she appreciated the work.
“This is very wonderful to have this work done because I have not been able to afford to do this work on my own because all I have is Social Security,” Haney said.[[In-content Ad]]
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