By Gretchen R. Crowe
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 11/25/04)

Most of the glass windows of the trailer were gone, the gaping holes covered instead with plastic sheeting. Half-detached cabinets hung from unstable hinges, and soot from the stove in the kitchen layered the floors, walls and ceiling. Outside the trailer, long-forgotten weeds and brush covered the yard, crawling wildly from one side of the property to the next. Bare sides of the trailer sat exposed where the siding had worn away or been stripped off. Layers of plastic took the place of doors and of stabilization.

This is Jimmy’s home. Actually, this was Jimmy’s home — until last week.

When the Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Youth Ministry headed down to Montross, Va., for WorkCamp 2004 in July, organizers chose the project locations from a long list of run-down homes. Jimmy’s trailer was one of those sites. However, the site was in such bad condition that it was impossible for a small group of teens to handle on its own.

They knew that they had to come back later.

So, on Nov. 13, 20 contactors, parishioners, young adults and teens gave up their Saturday to help give Jimmy, a resident of Kilmarnock, Va., a new home. Kevin Bohli, director of the Office of Youth Ministry, and Jim Bacigalupi, projects director for WorkCamp, were instrumental in making this "mini-WorkCamp" possible.

The project attracted volunteers — many full-time or part-time contractors — who had helped with WorkCamp in the past. The final bill, totaling approximately $16,500, was paid by generous parishioners in the diocese, said Bohli.

Bacigalupi oversaw this project. "We decided that after WorkCamp that we would try to do something about it," he said. But, "the trailer was in such bad shape that it wouldn’t pay to put any money in it."

Since this was not just a repair job, but instead a full-fledged makeover, the old trailer was literally hooked up to a tow truck, dragged to a landfill and dumped.

"We didn’t take anything out of his trailer," Bohli said. "We just pulled off with everything he owned. It was a big risk — a leap of faith — for him. He trusted that we were trying to make his living situation better."

Bacigalupi had arranged for an almost-new trailer to take its place. However, providing a new trailer wasn’t all there was to it. The volunteers put skirting on — "keeps cold out and the drafts," Bohli said — and built a deck for the front, steps for the back and brought in a washer, dryer and refrigerator.

Because there were so many skilled workers present, the project came together in no time; after beginning at around 9 a.m., it was finished a little after 3 p.m. "It was so fast," Bohli said. The project was finished "in the blink of an eye."

Bacigalupi added that some finishing touches, such as installing a phone line, still have to be taken care of. "Our aim is to have the gentleman back in his house by Thanksgiving," he said.

Bacigalupi said the work was "really gratifying.

"The fella (Jimmy) and his sister were able to come by and meet all the workers," he said. "They were very thankful, very grateful, for the work."

Jimmy was excited about the small things — not having to go to the Laundromat anymore, having a ceiling fan. "He kept saying, ‘the new trailer has a ceiling fan’ and that he always wanted a ceiling fan," Bohli said. "When you don’t have a lot, you’re not as concerned with materialism."

Tony Spehar, a member of St. Patrick Church in Fredericksburg who taught shop class after he graduated from college, is very involved with the Knights of Columbus, but was also looking for other outlets where he could put his faith into action.

He worked with WorkCamp for the first time this summer. "I wanted to take part," he said. "I enjoy that kind of work and camaraderie. It was enjoyable and worthy."

Vikki and Mike Egan, parishioners at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls, said they went down for the weekend because they had both the time and the resources.

"We went because we can help — and why not?" said Vikki. "We get more out of it than you would imagine."

Mike, a retired pilot, and Vikki, a retired teacher, share a contractor’s license and have helped out at WorkCamps on four different occasions. They helped level the ground, clear out brush, landscape, and cut and install skirting. "We felt we had to do something," Vikki said. The resident seemed "very nice and very thankful. Everybody was happy to be there."

"It was a lot of fun," Mike added, saying that the site had changed into a different place from the beginning of the day to the end. "It looked incredible."

Sara Sousa, who heard about the program through the St. Charles Borromeo Church young adult group, C’YA, saw pictures of Jimmy’s old trailer and knew she had to help.

"I was looking for an opportunity to do something like that," she said. "It turned out to be an awesome experience. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there."

She even asked Bacigalupi to let her know about future opportunities to help out.

Jim Moritz, a parishioner at St. Charles, also heard about the project through the C’YA group. "This is clearly the community that Jesus Christ wants us to pursue," he said. "What I bring to the fight is a strong back. While the contactors were building, I decided to become landscaper extraordinaire.

"Not everyone has the skills and the abilities" to take on a project like this one, he said. "That’s where we need to step up. A house is just a house, but a home is something you’re proud of."