SOUTHWEST NEWS

Meral Prewitt

Meral Prewitt Regional Coordinator Southwest

PRESS RELEASES:
Shelton Residents Sent Children Back-to-School in Style
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A Celebration of Bravery:
CCC Sent Youth to Appalachia

By Meral Prewitt
September 2007

Covenant to Care for Children provided funds for a 14- year-old boy to participate in a Services Project of the Stratford United Methodist Church.  Chris Domeracki showed how brave he could be when he volunteered to help build homes for poor families in Appalachia this past summer.  “I wasn’t sure I could do it ‘cause I didn’t know anything about tools or how to use them but I knew I wanted to help the people have their houses again,” said Domeracki.

Before the trip, Chris spent a lot of time with his grandfather, Harlyn Holverson, who furnished him with tools and explained how to use each one.  “Chris was too small for the leather tool belt I had so I had to modify it for him.  His face was full of pride when he put on that tool belt.  He learned quickly and I could see his determination to help others with his new tools,” said Holverson.

Many families were helped by the youth who rebuilt homes that were damaged or destroyed after continuous flooding in the small town of Matewan and city of Wiliamson. At least ten families and over twenty children received a new roof over their heads from the young crew as they reworked kitchen floors, repaired plumbing and roofs, built walls and even worked on septic systems.  Domeracki said, “It was a lot of work but it was worth it!  To see the look on the families’ faces when we were done was priceless.” Domeracki was accompanied by his step father, Michael Young, an accomplished roofer whose experience was invaluable to the young builders.  

Apparently, Domeracki also enjoyed interacting with the many young children in Appalachia while he worked and taught them to respect their elders and to say “please” and “thank you”.  “I’m very proud of him,” said Mrs. Shirley Holverson, Domeracki’s grandmother.