Salkehatchie Summer Service volunteers repair homes, rebuild lives on St. Helena Island

Rotten wood on the porches of 64-year-old Amanda Singleton's St. Helena Island home created holes all the way to the foundation. It got so bad she was afraid to go anywhere.

"It was scary," she said. "I had to learn to maneuver around the situation to get in and out of my house."

With no cartilage in her knee, the retired certified nursing assistant already has problems walking -- having to pivot from one place to another around soft boards made the situation even worse.

Now Singleton can walk across her porches without fear of falling through. Last week, a group of hard-working teens replaced them as part of the weeklong Salkehatchie Summer Service project.

About 110 teens from 14 Methodist churches from across the state including Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Rock Hill, as well as North Carolina, repaired and renovated nine homes on St. Helena Island last week. Local churches helped by preparing two meals for the group each day.

This is the 30th year for the project on St. Helena Island. Salkehatchie has 52 other camps in North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.

A BONDING EXPERIENCE

In addition to new wood on the porches and a new roof, much of Singleton's house got a fresh coat of paint.

Sitting in a white plastic chair on the new porch, Singleton clapped her hands and smiled as she watched a team of 20 teens and camp leaders work all around her.

"It was a blessing," she said of being chosen to receive renovations on St. Helena Island. This was the third year she had applied for help to repair her home, and the first time she was chosen. Each year about 50 people apply and about 10 are picked.

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Salkehatchie Summer Service volunteers repair homes, rebuild lives on St. Helena Island