“Thank you for participating in Decatur Preservation Alliance and City of Decatur’s 5th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Project. This year, thanks to an army of volunteers and wonderful weather, the initial goal of working on 12 senior citizens’ homes was surpassed. Over 700 volunteers participated in the three-day event assisting low-income seniors in Decatur to continue to live safely and comfortably in their homes by providing much needed repairs and yard work. An additional seven senior citizens’ homes were able to have a substantial amount of yard work done due to the overwhelming energy of the volunteers.”
Lee Ann Harvey spoke of many Oakhurst residents and neighbors when she thanked us for our work and ONA for its financial donation of $2,000. A significant number of house captains, committee chairs, and volunteers were from the Oakhurst community.
Projects included installation and repair of guttering and downspouts; removing kudzu and privet; repairing wheelchair ramps to provide safer accessibility; tearing out and replacing rotted floors, siding, and other wood; repairing roofs; household cleaning; repair and installation of stairs and porches; clearing out decades worth of accumulated junk; weatherproofing and installing insulation; replacing doors; patching cracks and painting; and taking off, cleaning, and re-grouting storm windows. A number of skilled craftspeople donated their services to provide electrical, plumbing, and other repairs. There were jobs that could be done by young and old, skilled and unskilled. Volunteers collected nearly 22 ½ tons on trash and yard trimmings. A big thank you goes to Lowe’s for their continued support of this project. Lowe’s Foundation donated a $20,000 grant; gave a discount on all items purchased at their store for the project; and provided a House Captain, Randall Burks, and approximately 30 Lowe’s volunteers who took responsibility for all repairs on one of the homes.