Workcamp teens spend week helping others

For the third time in six years, Group Work Camp Foundation, a Christian-based organization, has provided teen workers to help low income and elderly homeowners in Clare County improve their dwellings.

The Christian-based Group Workcamps Foundation was formed in Loveland Colorado in 1977. Since then, over 210,000 campers have helped homeowners in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Central America.

July 19, 412 teens and adult leaders and an additional 19 GWC staff from all over the country arrived in Clare to spend a week in the county repairing, renovating and adding needed structures for homeowners who are elderly, low income or disabled and unable to do the work themselves. There is no cost to the homeowners.

Teens and adult leaders are here from all over the country, including Nebraska, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. Each camper pays $472 just to participate in a Group Workcamp.

“There is a great need for it in Clare County,” said Clare County United Way Director Sandy Hages.

Projects include both interior and exterior work. “We are building porches, painting, renovating rooms and a priority this year is building approximately 12 wheelchair ramps,” said Hages. “There is a real need for those and funding to build the ramps is hard to find for most people.”

Of 120 applications reviewed, Clare County United Way, the coordinator of the event, selected approximately 55 homes as project sites. “We have projects in all but three townships this year,” said Clare County Enterprise Community Director Jerry Burger. “Our goal was to find sites in all of the townships and municipalities in Clare County.”

The Clare County Enterprise Community provides funds, approximately $35,000 this year, for food, supplies and equipment needed during the week. United Way selects sites and coordinates the event and Clare High School is providing the facility where the campers are staying. Group Workcamps uses some of the funding to contract with the school’s food service to provide meals for the volunteers.

Group Workcamp has brought volunteer workers to Clare County three times. They come every other year. The first Workcamp was based at Farwell High School, the second at Harrison High School, and this year’s at Clare. “The next camp will be at Farwell again,” Hages said.

Burger said several other organizations have contributed to the Workcamp this year, providing some of the supplies needed. Hages said all materials for the projects are purchased locally. “We want to help improve our local economy,” she said.

This year’s Workcamp is a “Challenge Camp,” Hages said, explaining that approximately two-thirds of the campers have attended at least one camp before. “Many that I talked to have worked at two camps previously,” she said. “They have experience and more knowledge about the camp and can work on more advanced types of renovations.”

Burger said, “I have been to several of the sites and can say I am extremely pleased with the high caliber of work that these young people have done.” Campers are divided into six-person crews with adult supervision. Some projects can be completed in less than a week and some sites need more than one crew to complete the work, Hages said.

“Someone from United Way or the Enterprise Community visits every single site at least twice,” Hages said. “It is an intense week for us, and exciting.”