Southern Hospitality Workcamp plans to bring up to 400 teenagers and their adult leaders to Hickory, Newton, Conover, Claremont and Catawba County to improve the homes of local residents.

Elderly, disabled and lower income residents of Catawba County will get free home repairs. Candidates for home repairs are being sought for summer 2010 projects.

As many as 80 local residents will benefit from the work of a projected 400 teenage volunteers and their adult leaders at the Southern Hospitality Workcamp coming to Newton. The Workcamp will provide free home repairs through the Group Workcamp Foundation program, co-sponsored by churches and governments in Catawba County.

The Group Workcamp Foundation is a non-profit, interdenominational Christian volunteer home-repair organization headquartered in Loveland, Co. This summer, an anticipated 30,000 young people and adults will participate in 64 Workcamps in communities throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to the Catawba County Workcamp, North Carolina will also have Workcamp sites in Wilmington and China Grove.

Repairs offered through the Workcamp include interior and exterior painting, weatherization, porch and wheelchair ramp construction and other work. Elderly, disabled and lower income households are encouraged to apply. Applications are available at Newton City Hall, the Catawba County Government Center and other centers of government in the county.

At each Workcamp, teenagers and adults – all members of church youth groups – volunteer a week of their time to repair homes throughout the community. “This represents about 12,000 hours of volunteer labor – worth at least $80,000 – to the community said Vicki Scott, coordinator of the Southern Hospitality Workcamp. “These really are remarkable young people,” said Joel Fay, vice president of Group Workcamp Foundation. “Each one is actually paying for the privilege of working in your community. Workcamp registration fees are used to cover our costs for food, insurance and building materials.”

The Southern Hospitality Workcamp will be housed at Newton-Conover High School the week of June 27-July 3, with Workcamp participants sleeping on classroom floors, eating in the cafeteria and enjoying evening programs in the gym.

"This service to the community would be impossible without the wonderful cooperation of Newton-Conover City Schools,” said Mimi Michael, who is serving as hospitality chair for the group of Catawba County churches, government entities and volunteers who have collaborated to bring the program to western North Carolina.

The idea behind Group Workcamps started in Loveland, Colorado in 1977 when residents suffered from the Big Thompson River Flood in which hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and more than 140 people lost their homes. The next summer, church youth groups of many different denominations came from across the country to help residents rebuild.

In 1978 the program went nationwide to include other disadvantaged areas throughout the country. This summer’s 64 Workcamps will take place in many different states, including, but not limited to Florida, Virginia, Montana, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Tennessee and Minnesota. Many Workcamps will also be hosted internationally. Now in its 31st year of service, Group Workcamps Foundation has hosted nearly 300,000 volunteers who have worked on almost 45,000 projects across the United States, Canada, Belize and Puerto Rico.

Residents interested in applying to receive assistance may contact Jeff Foss at jeff.foss@atriaxgroup.com.  Applications are available at Newton City Hall and the Catawba County Government Center. Applications will be made available elsewhere soon.

Additional information regarding Group Workcamps can be found at www.groupworkcamps.com.