On a muggy Saturday morning, nine parishioners from First United Methodist Church of Middlebury made the trek to ADEC’s new Goshen properties to help with some needed improvements.
The volunteers came to pull up some old carpet and put a fresh coat of paint on some interior rooms in one of the buildings at ADEC’s new properties just east of Goshen College. The building, formerly an office space, is being converted to living space.
“Everyone deserves a decent place to live in,” said Terina Franks, the lead volunteer for the day and a parishioner at the church. “All of us found joy in knowing we helped upgrade a house that ADEC clients will call home soon.”
Not only did the volunteers spend their time making improvements, they also donated $500 to help cover the cost of the improvements; by donating they were able to see the direct impact they were having on the lives of the individuals ADEC serves.
“I got the chance to meet these wonderful volunteers before they started their day helping create more possibilities for the individuals we serve at ADEC,” said Donna Belusar, president and CEO of ADEC. “What a tremendous display of love and community support it was for them to donate their time and money to make life better for our folks.”
The money the church donated was raised from its annual Earthly Treasures fundraiser, which is hosted each May during Middlebury’s community garage sales. Many of the items at the sale are donated by parishioners, and church organizers don’t set a price on small items at the sale, instead they rely on donations from shoppers, according to Terina.
“For five years we have been taking mission trips to John’s Island in South Carolina and the sale helped fund that trip along with other mission giving,” Terina said. “This year, we decided to do local projects to help several agencies with hands-on doing, and also to give monetary donations as well. When we heard about ADEC needing houses repaired and I called to inquire about the details, I knew it was a good fit for our church.”
The volunteers spent about four hours of one of their summer Saturdays helping ADEC offer more choice and greater possibility to the individuals we serve.
To volunteer at ADEC, as a group or as an individual, visit adecinc.com/volunteer and fill out a volunteer application form. Opportunities are available during the daytime and some evenings to work with the individuals ADEC serves, some service project opportunities are available on weekends.
