By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Rachel Davis has lived in her home on Calhoun Street for almost 20 years. Since she fell ill in 2008, she has watched it slowly age into disrepair. Paint peeled off the exterior and the screen around her porch ripped from weather and wear.
When Code Enforcement Supervisor Dennis Sweeney approached Davis about her property, he learned she had trouble walking, has been in and out of a wheelchair for years and suffered from heart conditions that caused her to have a pacemaker defibrillator.
Sweeney wanted to help the single mother of two avoid the $100 per day fine she would receive if she left her property in its deteriorated state. So, he submitted her name to CareFest, a national community service day.
“Without him submitting my name, I don’t know what I would have done,” Davis said.
Fifteen Plant City projects have been adopted by local churches, all focusing on home maintenance and repair for those in need, such as elderly couples or families with financial difficulties.
More than 10 volunteers from Transforming Life Church already have pressured-washed and painted Davis’ home. On the day of CareFest, Sept. 29, the volunteers will return to paint the trim and replace the front porch screen.
“It’s really a blessing that this is happening,” Davis said.
This is the first year local organizations have pulled together to bring CareFest to Plant City after Sweeney realized many in the community couldn’t afford or weren’t healthy enough to fix their houses to be within codes.
“To see someone from the city call and want to be involved and help the city was just awesome,” coordinator Christina DuBose said.
DuBose has helped organize 60 volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Midway for CareFest.
“We’ve done service projects before, but never something in this big of a spectrum,” DuBose said. “This is something that we have been praying about for a while.”
DuBose hopes that home renovations will be a project that can be carried after CareFest.
“CareFest has helped us find a longstanding project we can be involved in,” DuBose said. “This is really what we’re about. We want to help people we maybe didn’t know about before.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
STILL IN NEED
There are still four projects that have yet to be adopted in Plant City. For a complete listing of projects, visit carefestusa.com.
No. 1080
ADDRESS: 511 S. Waters
WORK: Owner needs home painted
CONTACT: Doug Benning, (813) 767-6898
No. 1073
ADDRESS: 713 Alabama St.
WORK: Home needs to be painted. Home must be prepped, scraped and primed. Some eaves replacement required. Ten volunteers are needed.
CONTACT: CareFest, (727) 536-2273
No. 1042
ADDRESS: 922 Coronet St.
WORK: Home needs to be painted. Eaves need to be scraped and primed. All window frames and sills need work, as well. Kick plate at front door needs installation. Ten volunteers needed.
CONTACT: Doug Benning, (813) 767-6898
No. 1023
ADDRESS: 1802 Whitehall St.
WORK: Ceiling from owner’s carport area is loose and falling, and rain is seeping through. A portion of the washroom roof needs some repairs.
CONTACT: CareFest, (727) 536-2273
PARTICIPATING CHURCHES
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
First Baptist Church of Midway
First Baptist Church of Plant City
Knights Baptist Church
Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church
Plant City Church of God
Plant City Four Square Church
Shiloh Baptist Church
Restoring Hope
Transforming Life Church“>http://oneseniorplace.com/zaym-na-kivi-koshelek-bistro.php