How a Gastonia woman, and others, have their lives improved by volunteers

Volunteers with Carolina Cross Connection got to work last week building a much-needed porch and ramp onto the back door of a Gastonia woman's home.

“Most of our projects are access projects,” said Bree Eldridge, a Carolina Cross Connection camp director.

Carolina Cross Connections is a non-profit organization that brings members from churches across North Carolina together to serve different communities.

Some members go to Honduras and others do work in local communities such as Gastonia.

This year, Eldridge oversaw a team of volunteers servicing the Gaston County area from Sunday, June 18, to Saturday, June 24. The team spent three days in the rain working to make it a little easier for Roberta Elliott to get in and out of her South Marietta Street home.

“I had been on a waitlist to get some help getting this done for a long time,” Elliott said. She and her late husband had not been able to afford the stairs amid other repairs they needed to make to their home, including a new roof and HVAC system.

Elliott didn’t stop believing she would get the help she needed.

“As long as you’ve got breath in your body, there’s hope,” Elliott said.

While Elliott didn't know exactly how she wound up being selected by Carolina Cross Connections, it is likely that she was referred by a community contact, according to Eldridge.

There are three ways people can get on the list for these services, Eldridge said. Some people call into the referral line, others are referred by neighbors, and the rest are referred by community contacts like the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to Elliott, this service has been a blessing.

"In this economic time, it's good to have people to help those of us that are less fortunate," she said.

Elliott and Eldrige both agree that this program is impactful for the children participating as well.

“This instills qualities in the kids to do good,” Elliott said.

Children as young as 12 years old are eligible to participate in the camp. Eldridge herself, “fell in love with service,” after attending the camp as a teen. Fellow volunteer Margaret Freeman appreciates the new perspective she gains from chatting with those they serve.

“The times I’ve talked with Roberta, I feel like I’ve learned more from her than she’s ever going to learn from me,” Freeman said.

Campers at Carolina Cross Connection generally complete anywhere from one to four projects per week. “Projects can be kind of expensive,” Eldridge said. Camp directors and coordinators are required to raise half of their own salary each summer to help offset costs, according to Eldridge.

This year, a grant from Gaston County’s Glenn Foundation also made a donation to help cover the costs of repairs.

Carolina Cross Connection plans to serve Gaston County twice more this summer. Volunteers will be on the job from June 28 to July 8, and again from July 16 to 22.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Carolina Cross Connection making Gastonia's homes more accessible