Volunteers ‘fix up’ Lee County homes

Randy Burns / The Item Volunteers with the Salkehatchie Summer Service Program make repairs to a Lee County home recently.

By RANDY BURNS
Item Staff Writer
rburns@theitem.com

Since 2003, the Salkehatchie Summer Service Program has changed the lives of 68 Lee County families.

Salkehatchie, a housing rehabilitation program coordinated by the United Methodist Church in South Carolina, has made major renovations to their homes.

Student and adult volunteers spend 8-10 hours a day for one week each summer in Bishopville making major repairs to homes.

Simpsonville United Methodist Church is well represented at the 2009 Bishopville camp for Salkehatchie.

Simpsonville’s Jennifer Poole, 18, and Katie Flack, 17, are two of the 90 student and adult volunteers “fixing up” nine houses. Poole and Flack are spending their time painting, replacing doors and windows, installing ceiling fans, a new bath tub and putting up sheetrock at the home of John March in the Blue Pond community of Bishopville..

Poole and Flack have become veteran Salkehatchie volunteers, coming back every year since they were 14 years old.

“This is life changing,” Poole said. “I see how people live, and I see how you can change it for the better.”

Flack said she likes “everything” about Salkehatchie.

“And I really like seeing the reactions from people when you’re working,” she said.

Adult volunteer Leith Fowler, a member of Bennettsville United Methodist Church, has been a Salkehatchie volunteer for 17 years.

“It’s amazing how these kids will pay $200 to come to camp and work,” Fowler said. “We get great kids.”

Carrie Gass, a member of Mechanicsville United Methodist Church and one of the local volunteer liaisons and organizers, said she is “particularly impressed” with this year’s student volunteers.

“They gave up their Father’s Day this year,” Gass said. “They came in knowing why they are here, and they have done a great job.”

The Rev. Tommy Wilkes, director of the Bishopville camp, said the Lee County community has provided great support.

“Everybody has been great,” he said. “Churches, the volunteers, the school district, the department of social services and businesses have all been awesome.

Wilkes singled out B & R Lumber Co., Jared’s Ace Hardware and BoSmith Furniture Co. for their support.

“We could not do it without the support of the businesses and the churches,” he said.

The Harvest Food Bank of Columbia provided food baskets for each family served by the Salkehatchie program, Gass said.

Bethlehem United Methodist Church once again served as the central headquarters for Lee County’s Salkehatchie program and supported the 2009 project along with Bethlehem UMC, Bishopville Church of Christ, Bishopville Presbyterian Church, First Baptist of Bishopville, Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Mechanicsville UMC, Mount Hermon Baptist Church, Mount Lisbon Presbyterian Church, New Bethel AME Church, New Zion AME Church and Mechanicsville UMC.

Bishopville’s Salkehatchie project has a $2,400-per-house budget with an additional $6,000 in operational costs, Wilkes said.

Frank Davis, an organizer from Bethlehem UMC, said Salkehatchie, established in 1976, was founded by the Rev. John Wesley Culp.

The project was named Salkehatchie after the Lowcountry river of that name. In its 30 years, the program has expanded from 25 participants serving one location to more than 2,000 volunteers repairing hundreds of homes throughout the state.

Salkehatchie is administered by a statewide steering committee with about 60 members and eight subcommittees.



Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or (803) 491-4533.


For more information, visit www.salkehatchie.org