Submitted article
A group of people from Becker are gearing up to complete a week of home repairs for people in need during the week of June 24 – 30, 2018.
TeenServe, an Indiana- based, non-profit corporation, along with local co-sponsors, will be combining efforts to provide free home repairs for elderly, disabled and low-income residents during a one-week workcamp to be based out of Becker, Minnesota.
Approximately 150 teens and adult leaders will be arriving from all over the United States June 24 and will be staying at Becker High School for the duration of the workcamp. Six-person crews, with at least one adult and five teens will spend their days completing home repair or painting projects for the elderly or others who cannot complete the work themselves because of physical or financial need.
Repairs offered through the workcamp include interior and exterior painting, weatherization, wheelchair ramp construction, deck and step repairs and other work. Teens will work on approximately 50 individual homes within a 25-mile radius of Becker High School, which includes the cities Becker, Big Lake, Elk River, Zimmerman and Clear Lake in Sherburne County and extending into Otsego, Monticello, Buffalo, Annandale and St. Cloud.
The local co-sponsor team has recruited approximately 125 volunteers to help at Becker High School during workcamp week. Volunteers are used to help serve morning and evening meals to participants, picking up and delivering materials to worksites, worksite prep work and finish work, and project troubleshooting. In addition, the local team has raised nearly $25,000 to cover the costs of materials to be used for repairs, in order to provide the home improvements to residents at no cost.
Youth from Grace Lutheran Church in Becker have been participating in TeenServe Workcamps for the past 12 years and felt it was time to invite the non-profit to the Becker Community. The local co-sponsor team has been planning and fundraising since September 2017 in anticipation of next week’s workcamp.
If readers are interested in more information about how they can be a part of the Becker Workcamp, or TeenServe in general, contact Kary Tillmann, Co-Sponsor Team Chair at 612-310-6514 or via email at beckerteenserve2018@gmail.com.
