CANONSBURG, Pa. -- Inspired by their faith and the desire to help homeowners in need, nearly 400 teenage and adult volunteers are dedicating their time to repair homes in Washington County.
"It makes you feel good. They are doing things to make themselves better," said homeowner Stella Ross.
The unlikely work crews that have turned up to scrape, paint and hammer are part of a program by the
Group Workcamps Foundation, a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization based in Colorado.
The volunteers -- from nine states and Canada -- will contribute 12,000 hours of volunteer work worth $90,000 at homes in Canonsburg,
Sponsored locally by the Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church, they will repair 45 to 50 homes.
"We have -- from Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church -- gone to 13 camps out in different territories. We had a dream two years ago to bring this home and do the same kind of work in our hometown," said workcamp coordinator Linda Richardson.
The volunteers, who will sleep on mattresses inside classrooms at Canon-McMillan High School, are no strangers to spending their summers giving back to others.
"I love to help people. I have been Camp Wild, which is a camp our church provides to harvest hope and we all had a lot of fun there," said Madison Mason, of South Carolina.
Workcamp registration fees are used to cover costs for food, insurance and building materials, but the true reward for those involved is the emotional satisfaction from making a difference.
"I'm in my youth. I can help people who can't physically do it anymore and they can provide me with wisdom. It's a lot of fun," said John Larocca, of Maryland.
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