“The arts are about making our surroundings beautiful and beneficial. One key in economic development is how a community looks - not only on the surface but deep down,” said Lewis. “The challenge is having the funds and the manpower to do the projects that are needed.”
“God sent us a band of angels,” she said.
By working with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina, local sponsor Allendale First Baptist Church and the Connecticut volunteers, homes of several elderly residents were made nicer and safer. Work included replacing roofs, building wheelchair ramps, minor landscaping, painting interiors and some exteriors, and other minor repairs. “We didn’t have to spend a penny,” said Lewis. “They brought all the tools and materials with them.”
The teens are part of a youth group called “YG” from Congregational Church in New Canaan, Connecticut. They flew to South Carolina and were housed at Camp Jackson located between Allendale and Barnwell. The Finicky Bean, an Allendale company, catered their meals.