For the past few years we have been honored to host volunteers from different Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America in and around Boulder, Colorado. This group of volunteers is very passionate about Green River which comes through in their incredible work ethic. This group does meaningful work year after year that would go undone without them. Past projects include, but are not limited to: painting the entire Boys & Girls Club of Green River, painting the front façade of Epicenter, working on the Habitat for Humanity house, putting up a fence around the Club’s front play yard, building picnic tables for Epicenter and the Club, painting welcome signs at the Club, and working on multiple Fix It First projects. Wow!!
We really love when this volunteer groups come back year after year; it’s always a pleasure to reconnect with returning volunteers as well as meet the new faces. This year was no different, the PACT and Epicenter crew had a great time getting to know and work alongside this hard working and dedicated group. The volunteers arrived in Green River on a Saturday afternoon and settled into the volunteer house which was followed by a town tour of Green River and an introduction to what PACT and Epicenter do for the community. The group did not hesitate to get their hands dirty on Sunday when two projects were started, a storage loft for the Thrift Store, which will allow more space for receiving and sorting donations, and a Fix It First project that included painting the home and replacing five broken window panes, providing the homeowner with a more affordable place to live in the years to come.
Monday was filled with painting preparation at the Fix It First house and construction at the Green River Thrift Store. After the loft construction was complete, the whole team assembled on the Fix It First project site where painting on the South side of the home had begun.
Tuesday was another full day of work with our volunteers split into two groups, one headed to Goblin Valley and one remaining in town to continue with our Fix It First project. The Goblin Valley group went to Goblin Valley State park and spent the early morning building cairns along an unmarked trail. The Fix It First group worked on replacing broken window panes and continued prepping and painting the house. The homeowner even baked the group a batch of sugar muffins that were incredibly delicious!
Since it was spring break, we made sure the group was able to see one of our favorite local slot canyons, Moonshine Wash. The hike was fantastic and grew more and more exciting as the group descended deeper into the canyon, with the walls growing in height and the gap becoming just larger than a single file line. Every obstacle turned into a team building exercise with outreached hands and a little coaching for the less experienced scramblers.
For the past few years, this group has been dedicated to Green River. It is always a pleasure to host them. Epicenter and the Boys & Girls Club has benefitted greatly because of the many, and varied, projects this group has performed. Our Fix It First homeowner said, “It is great to see so many young people come to Green River to help an older lady out”. We agree.
Thank you to our volunteers who could have been anywhere for their spring break, but chose to come to Green River. These amazing volunteers hail from different congregations including: Atonement Lutheran Church (Boulder, Colorado), Christ the Servant Lutheran Church (Louisville, Colorado), Trinity Lutheran Church (Boulder, Colorado) and Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church (Boulder, Colorado). Thank you Pastor Chad, Aly, Holden, Eaven, Kayla, Samantha, Anita, Madalyn, Anna, Clara, Maddie, Emilee, Jody, Sophie, John, Lori, Mia, and Anya for all of your hard work.