Nehemiah Initiative
Nehemiah Initiative Fall ‘23 BDOS #AltusBDOS
The Nehemiah Initiative plans two Big Day of Service events per year; one in April and one in October. To know exactly which day, follow us on Facebook at @AltusNehemiah or on our webpage at nehemiah-altus.org. We do projects all year round as we can get money, people and time.
The need is great in Altus to help keep people in their home and keep them safe and comfortable. Volunteering as a servant of Christ is where we learn about our neighbor and learn how to become a disciple of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our mission is to help homeowners with tasks they cannot do for themselves or help them with tasks they cannot afford to maintain their property to minimum standards of safety, comfort, and increased quality of life. We are not able to help with major reconstructions because we are not contractors. We do help with painting the outside of the home, minor repairs, landscaping, debris removal, minor tasks that are too difficult for some to accomplish.
Here are some projects we completed in the past:
Debris removal creating an unsafe place for kids to play. This elderly person could not lift a lot of the items in the yard and did not have a way to get trash to the dump. We had a team do this work, clean up the yard, trim it and mow it in about a 4 hour period.
Another homeowner can now safely get down some steps into her garage.
Plumbing at one house needed professional work beyond what the volunteers could accomplish and we were able to pay for that.
One homeowner's ramp and carport were in a state of total disrepair and unsafe to the point of collapsing. We were able to haul off the debris, fix the ramp to the front step so that it is solid and we are in the process of redoing the carport so it is stable and secure. This homeowner is active in helping others and uses the carport to store donations and get those donations to people who need it. Neighbors helping neighbors.
One of our projects was worked on by the Frederick United Methodist Church Youth Group of 10 people. They were doing a service weekend and came to Altus to help us with our Big Day of Service. They accomplished many tasks and seemed to have a good time doing it. They fixed a leaky roof, scraped and painted siding, helped to haul off debris, installed handrails for safety, and other tasks. The house looks totally different.
We are already working on our next Big Day of Service to be held on April 13, 2024, Saturday from 8 am to 12pm (or whenever we get to a stopping point). We meet at City Hall, complete some paperwork, have a prayer, and get assignments for the morning then go to the different projects.
