The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Volunteer groups making a difference
World Changers, P2 Missions volunteer in city
Kasey Fox traveled six hours from Mount Orab Village, Ohio, to volunteer in Painesville.
The 18-year-old has been volunteering in the city for three years through World Changers and P2 Missions, which are initiatives of Lifeway Christian Resources.
“We came to spread the love of Christ and we do that by meeting physical needs,” Fox said.
On June 20, Fox and several other volunteers painted the exterior of a home and renovated the rear porch.
Project Coordinator Eric Heatherly said the homeowner has been unable to do any renovations because of serious health concerns.
“We’re excited to be here,” he said. “There is a great need.”
Heatherly said the size and scope of the repairs needed made it one of the more challenging projects.
Several small groups of three to four worked diligently to beautify this home.
In addition to this project, there were a total of eight crews working at various sites throughout the city.
“Most of them are scraping, painting houses and we have three re-roofs being done,” he said. “We have four churches from Ohio and one is from the state of Virginia.”
According to the news release, there are about 80 middle school and high school students participating in weeklong community service projects in the Cleveland-Painesville area.
Through P2 Missions and World Changers, students will refresh landscaping at the local 9/11 Memorial and Painesville Fire Department; do house repairs and upgrades, such as painting and roof tear-offs; work at Hannah’s Home, a maternity home for single, pregnant women; work with a homeless shelter, Project Hope; meet with the community at the Painesville Farmers Market; and complete other various projects, it also states.
Funding comes from the city of Painesville and the Painesville Community Improvement Corp. to buy supplies to revitalize substandard housing.
Assistant City Manager Doug Lewis previous said the partnership with World Changers has been impactful and instrumental.
P2 Missions has served the Cleveland area for 10 years.
The volunteers dedicate time and finances to help others.
Students traveling with their churches and youth groups pay on average $310 for check-in as well as all of their travel to take part in this program.
The Painesville volunteers lodged at Heritage Middle School for the week. They started their day at about 8 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m.
Besides working in Painesville, World Changers and P2 Missions serve communities in more than 50 cities in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. This year, more than 12,000 student and adult volunteers will participate.
“Every year I learn something different, even though I come back and do the same thing,”Fox said. “It’s really an eye-opening experience.”