On Monday we woke up to drizzly Seattle weather with the promise of a bit of sunshine by the afternoon. We headed out early to the Central District to work with the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) at their Columbia Street property. LIHI develops, owns and operates housing for the benefit of low-income, homeless and formerly homeless people in Washington State; advocates for just housing policies at the local and national levels; and administers a range of supportive service programs to assist those we serve in maintaining stable housing and increasing their self-sufficiency. The Columbia Street property is a small group of apartments for families with children. The apartments are arranged so that their is a safe and secure area in the middle for the kids to play.

We were greeted in the morning by the LIHI staff with doughnuts and coffee (and pizza for lunch!) and an orientation to what LIHI does in the community. From there we set out on our assigned tasks. One group spent the day painting the laundry room while the other group first washed all the windows and then moved on to powerwash and clean the playground in the courtyard. It was a day of hard work, but we were happy with all that we were able to get done. Throughout the day we were able to talk to the staff to learn more about LIHI as well as with a resident and his child (and a puppy!) Thank you LIHI for all that you do!

When we left the site we made a stop at the local Goodwill Outlet and then headed back to the church for dinner. Dinner was spaghetti, salad and bread, simple yet delicious! Sound familiar all you PVs out there? After dishes we gathered for evening reflection an then off to sleep in our sleeping bags and air mattresses for a good nights sleep.

A few pictures (There are more coming, but we are having some technical difficulties uploading images at the moment. We hope to have it cleared up by tomorrow.)

Last week, the PVs spent time in Seattle working with many different social service agencies. Unfortunately, wifi was not available at the church where we stayed, so we were not able to do daily updates and pictures. Now that the week is complete and we are back where there is an internet connection, we will post about last week. We will be posting each day the activities of that day the week before (ie. last Monday’s activities on this Monday) so that we can go in to depth about each experience and share pictures from that day.

Volunteers began arriving on Saturday for the week. On Sunday morning, we helped out at the West Seattle Community Meal which takes place each month at Our Lady of Guadalupe but is hosted by different churches. This month happened to be the month where OLG also hosted the meal, so since that was going to be our home for the week, we helped out with set-up, service and clean-up of the meal. The meal provides a place for people to come and share a wonderful meal and fellowship.

After we helped clean up after the meal, it was time to move in and set up our living space for the week. We shared dinner together and then had an orientation to the area and the issues that are facing those struggling in Seattle right now. As usual with all service sites, the evening was wrapped up with our PV Commissioning Service.

Jill and Jenny

ONE DOLLAR CAN CHANGE LIVES

Do you have a dollar you can spare? Your donation of a dollar can help the PV Volunteers change lives. Talk about a lot of bang for a buck! Your dollar can help build a much needed ramp, repair a roof, feed and clothe your neighbor. It can help feed and house a volunteer who is providing much needed services to areas in need. Who knew a dollar could do so much?! Join our movement – change lives!

Donate directly through paypal on our website: www.pvprogram.org or through our youcaring fundraiser site.

For those that have donated and/or facilitated others donating, THANK YOU!!! Because of your efforts the future of the program is looking up. Besides the almost $7,000 raised through the youcaring campaign, we received notice that we have received one of the grants we have been waiting to hear from. Working together we are changing lives!

Thank you to all who have contributed to our mission to keep the PV Volunteers going. Our 43 year history is one that is marked by thousands of volunteers giving of their time, talent, heart and soul to help their neighbors in times of need. Whether it is replacing a roof for a family in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia so they can stay dry and protected or responding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on the Jersey Shore, the volunteers respond when help is needed. To date we have raised almost $6,000, a bit from our goal of $15,000, but the amount so far has helped us to be able to continue operations. There are two more weeks left in our fundraiser and with your help we can make it!

Because of your contributions we are gearing up for a week of service in the greater Seattle area at the end of the month. The volunteers will be serving hot meals on the streets of Seattle, working to help protect green spaces in urban parks, providing clothing and household goods assistance to people in need and spending a night inviting homeless individuals a ride to a shelter and/or warm food and a blanket. They wouldn’t be able to have these experiences without your support!

Two more weeks, $9,000 left to raise…..WE CAN DO IT!!     https://www.youcaring.com/pvs

The Northern Illinois University students finished their week of service in Wyoming County, WV with the PVs by helping with distribution day at the Itmann Food Bank. The whole group was able to pitch in and serve the many people who came in for much needed food, clothing and other services, including blood pressure checks. They all fell right in their assigned roles alongside the always dedicated food bank volunteers. With their help, the food bank helped many families today.

While they were at the food bank the gentleman that they built the ramp came in to thank them all. He was not home yesterday when it was completed since he was at a doctors visit in North Carolina. He couldn’t have been more thankful for all the hard work and for the beautiful and useful end result.

After they left the food bank, the volunteers went on a hike in Twin Falls State Park before coming to our cabin to share one last meal with us. After dinner we had a closing reflection and then the students headed back to The Way for a little rest before their 4 am departure.

We would like to thank the NIU Newman Center for sending another wonderful group of students for the week and the students themselves for their willingness and openness to do anything asked of them. We would also like to thank a longtime PV, Walt, for coming down and spending the week spearheading the ramp project. Without his home repair knowledge and his patience we would never have been able to take on such a big project. And finally, thank you to the Wyoming County community for welcoming us in. Special thanks to The Way for providing the students a home for the week, St. Vincent DePaul, Itmann Food Bank and Baileysville Head Start for providing the service opportunities. This week was truly a collaboration of many. THANK YOU!!!

Is there a better way to spend St. Patricks Day than in the green rolling West Virginia mountains? We had blue skies and a nice breeze all day, perfect weather for working outside. The ramp project that we started on Monday was completed this afternoon. It turned out beautifully, ending in a freshly pour cement landing. Everyone worked together wonderfully all week to make it all happen. Perhaps the best display of teamwork and community was the cement landing. Needed to mix 13 bags of cement and decided to apply a technique we learned this past summer from a volunteer. Mixing each bag in a tarp with someone holding each corner and in a well choreographed manner mixing the cement together. (Thanks Fred for the inspiration!) The finished is product is something that everyone involved should be proud of and we are sure the home owners will love it and it will make their life easier.

Today was also the final day of Head Start for this spring break. From all reports the students and the children had a great week together in the classroom and on the bus rides home. We look forward to continue this collaboration in the years to come.

The final group went back to the St. Vincent DePaul warehouse and office. They helped with some much need cleaning and even stained the entryway. After two days of TLC from the NIU students the place looks great.

Tomorrow is the last work day for this year’s trip. The whole group will be working at the Itmann Food Bank for distribution day. We look forward to another great day.

The Completed Ramp!

Today is a special day here in Wyoming County, WV. It’s State Tournament Basketball Day. The Wyoming East Boys Basketball team starts their quest of a state title tonight and the whole town is wearing Warrior gear, there are signs up everywhere and the local funeral home even rolled out a casket onto the sidewalk with balloons attached and a sign that said “Warriors, bury your competition!” The boys have a lot to live up to though, as the Wyoming East girls team brought home the state championship last weekend.

In PV activities for the day, the ramp continued right along and now all that remains are the railings and pouring the cement slab for the bottom. The NIU students did a fantastic job with one crew attaching all the deck boards while the other crew began ripping all the boards that will be used to create the railings and spindles. I think they are now more than ready to run their own construction crew! (There was also a cute black kitten hanging around for most of the day that could be their mascot.)

Head Start welcomed the NIU students back again today for another fun-filled day with kids. It is always fun to hear all the stories of the cute things the kids do and say each day.

The third group went to the St. Vincent DePaul warehouse in Pineville. While at the warehouse the group organized and cleaned. When people came in to pick up needed items, the students them helped them bring the items to the car.

Another good day for the PVs and NIU. And because I’ve have talked about the weather every other day, we had another beautiful sunny warm day.

Today’s Home Repair Crew

The SVDP Crew

Just wanted to let you know that we are aware of some issues with our posted pictures. While when posted they were rotated, saved and displayed properly, on some computers they are being turned sideways. We are looking into this issue and hope to have it resolved soon. Thank you for your patience.

Last night we had thunder, lightening, heavy rains and hail, but by mid-morning today blue skies and abundant sunshine greeted us. We have been lucky to have the dry weather so that work can progress on the ramp project. Today we finished building all the support braces and posts so that we are pretty much ready for the decking and railings tomorrow. Ramps are a great analogy for life. You have to figure a lot of stuff out, make a lot of mistakes along the way, but in the end what you have is beautiful and functional.

The Itmann Food Bank received another group of students today to finish up the floor painting from yesterday. They were so efficient in that task that they helped organize and sort items for distribution day on Friday. The floor looks fantastic and I’m sure those on Friday who see it, will notice a huge difference.

The third group made the long drive to the Baileysville Head Start. Not only do the NIU students have a great time working with the kids, they are able to give the students some one-on-one attention. In addition, the Head Start facility receives additional funding that is based on the volunteer hours at their location. This service activity has become a cornerstone of the NIU trip for all of these reasons.

Tonight the students opened up The Way Youth Center where they are staying to allow the teens and pre-teens in the area to have a save place to play. It was a great opportunity to meet a segment of the population that they would not usually be able to work with.

We are looking forward to another great day tomorrow….more ramp, more Head Start and St. Vincent DePaul.

The Home Repair Crew Today

Itmann Food Bank Crew

The Food Bank and its freshly painted floor is ready for Friday