Virginia youth work on Ontario project

It was a hot Southern Ontario day in July but the crew from Warwick River Mennonite Church in Newport News, Virginia felt that the humidity was nothing compared with home. They were there as part of Mennonite Disaster Service’s 2012 Youth Summer build in the north end of Hamilton.

The first project was to build an enclosed entrance and connecting space between the main building and a large refrigeration unit for the Welcome Inn Community Centre, founded by the Hamilton Mennonite Church in 1966. Orlan Martin, until recently on the Ontario MDS board is project director, noted that the month long project will also see a team from Pennsylvania and two from Western Canada, working at the Centre, its Thrift Store and doing work for some families in the low income community.

They are also taking part in the Centre’s summer day camp program says Carly Gaylor, the Centre’s executive director. She was particularly impressed at how well the youth and their leaders were fitting in and making a contribution the Centre and its community.

Clark Siebels, a youth in the Warwick group, says that this is his second summer project. He likes doing service for others in need with a group. This would satisfy Martin as he feels the MDS Youth Summer builds are there to build a spirit of volunteerism in the next generation, while doing worthwhile work.

The cooks for the first two week were a significant contrast with the Warwick group, two Old Colony Mennonite women from South Western Ontario with their typical dresses and head coverings, showing again the integrated nature of many Mennonite service organizations like MDS and MCC.

--July 6, 2012