Volunteers fix up homes for the needy

..."I don't have carpenters' skills, but I can do these things."Lewis joined about 750 volunteers, who on Saturday, and the weeks before and after, helped and will help fix up the homes of 25 senior and disabled township residents as part of the seventh annual Tooling Around the Township program.Once part of a national organization known as Christmas in April and Rebuilding Together, the newly independent township program relies on donated materials, expertise and labor to provide otherwise expensive home improvements for free to those in need."It's a nice thing to do," Lewis said of his fourth year as a volunteer.

"A chance to help other people."And after Lewis finished work Saturday, he returned to his home on South Fulton Avenue — with dusty pant knees and paint-splattered forearms — to discover how others had found a chance to help him.Mayor John McCormac led a crowd of workers, volunteers and neighbors in a chant to move a new orange sanitation truck obscuring a front view of the house Lewis shares with his wife, Kay.

The truck drove away to reveal a brand-new ramp to replace a creaky one Lewis had built with his brother three years ago."Wow," Lewis said, taken by surprise.

"Thank you.

It looks great."It looked similar to the 50-foot ramp volunteers built Saturday for Frank Crys, a 66-year-old Oak Avenue resident who had part of his left leg removed in July because of a gangrenous foot.About 40 volunteers descended on Crys' house, including students, faculty...

Read more...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | All news