By By Kerry Whipple Bean – publisher
Workers arrived at a house on Neal Street on Saturday morning to find a long list of tasks to accomplish for Alabama Rural Ministries, a new Brewton group dedicated to providing safe homes for children.
Working to install everything from wiring to paneling, the volunteers attacked the project with renewed fervor after their initial work at the house was destroyed by thieves who stole the copper wiring.
Volunteers worked to install the wiring, insulation, paneling and ceiling boards in the house, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan and by the storms that followed the next year. Culliver and her two children have been unable to live in the home since the 2005 hurricane season.
Culliver said she is appreciative of ARM, whose mission is to help provide safe and secure housing for children and senior citizens, especially through home renovation projects.
Volunteers first started working on the house weeks ago, installing wiring as part of their first major work day. But when they returned last month to continue the job, they found that the copper wiring had been stripped by thieves.
Rather than allow the setback to hurt their progress, they scheduled a work day to try to accomplish more tasks - and discourage thieves, said Carolyn Jennings, who helped found the ARM chapter in Brewton.
Youth from Brewton First United Methodist Church - which has provided ARM with office space - will be at the house this morning priming and painting. And volunteers will return again Saturday to continue their interior work.
Jennings said the group still needs money to complete work at the house. Anyone interested in donating can mail donations to Alabama Rural Ministries, 820 Belleville Ave., Brewton, AL 36426.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the project can call Jennings at 363-0640 or Ellen Mantel at 238-0236.