Nehemiah Initiative
Nehemiah Initiative Fall ‘23 BDOS #AltusBDOS
The Nehemiah Initiative Big Day of Service on October 14, 2023 was a great success. Volunteers from all over Altus came together to help 5 homeowners with projects they could not do for themselves.
At one house, we cleaned up over 20 years of collected items needing to go to the landfill and trimmed back bushes and trees to transform the yard into a clean and safe area for her son. A group of gardeners prepared flower beds for spring planting and beautifully trimmed back overgrown bushes.
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.
