Project: R.A.K.E.

New London, PA – August 07, 2003 –- This coming Saturday, August 17, and Sunday, August 18, the Ground Zero Youth Ministry will be taking 35-45 students into Oxford, Nottingham, Atlgen, West Chester, Coatesville, and West Grove to help several senior citizens & low income families with repairs to their homes.  Termed PROJECT: R.A.K.E., this team of students and adults, through the generous donations of local businesses and individuals, will provide free labor to re-shingle a roof, remove a tree, replace two kitchen sinks, install a bathtub, a sidewalk, and an oil tank, paint several houses, and carry out many other much needed repairs at various homes throughout our area.  The goal is to get teenagers involved in the needs of their community and spread Jesus’ love through Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere.  Twenty-one different projects have been lined up for this weekend. 

Dianne Tule, age 64 of the Downingtown area, was recently given notice from her trailer park regarding various maintenance violations.  She just got out of the hospital, relies on Social Security Disability for her income, and her nearest family is 2 hours away.  Project: R.A.K.E. will be putting a fresh coat of paint on her trailer, repairing her shed, fixing the skirting on her trailer, replacing a kitchen stove wall fan, insulating an air conditioner, as well as pressure washing her parking spot.

Denise Morrison, age 41 of Oxford, lives with her two teenage sons and deals with multiple medical issues including SLE Lupus.  Social Security Disability and food stamps are her primary way of supporting her family and paying her medical bills.  Her kitchen floor began collapsing into the crawl space below about a year ago.  Project R.A.K.E. will be replacing and reinforcing the floor joists and the floor decking.  We will also repair several windows and doors that do not close and lock properly.

Judy Barton, age 51 of Atglen, is mentally handicapped and must rely on Social Security Disability for her income.  She needs a large tree removed from her yard, a post supporting her front porch reinstalled, and her sidewalk rebuilt.  Barton also needs her bathroom re-done, doors windows, and light fixtures replaced, as well as the kitchen and bathroom floors strengthened.  In addition, Barton needs new gutters, insulation and support for a window AC unit, and to have all the exterior wood on her house scraped and painted.  Barton's roof will also need to be replaced in the next 12 months.  Project: R.A.K.E. will be tackling her most immediate needs first.

Mary Dorsey, age 87 of Lincoln University, has lived in her home for 65 years.  She is helping her granddaughter raise three children while running a store out of her shed to supplement her Social Security income.  She is recovering from a mild stroke and suffers from high blood pressure and failing knees.  She needs her leaky roof patched, her propane tank painted, and her window AC removed.  Project: R.A.K.E. will also be fixing her downspouts, reshingling the shed that serves as her store, installing new concrete on the front walk and a set of steps, as well as fix a dripping sink.

In addition to this lengthy list of jobs, Project: R.A.K.E. will also be putting in a new ten-foot sidewalk for a visually impaired woman, repairing kitchen counters, hanging drywall for several homeowners where they've had water leaks, sealing a deck, cleaning gutters, installing rain spouts, quite a few roofing jobs, and helping four residents from Kennett Square paint their homes.

The actual inception of the program grew out of one student’s desire to take a summer mission experience she’d had through Ground Zero, into her own community.  Atkins explains, “Two years ago, while we were on our summer mission trip to Rock Hill, SC, Sarah Abel came and told me that she would love to do something like this (helping the community) where we live.  I asked her to call some agencies when we got back home and told her we would see what we could do.  A few days later she had called 8 different agencies and had an interview already set up!” The program’s name is based on a concept that Columbine victim, Rachel Scott, wrote about in her diary a few weeks before she was tragically killed.  Rachel believed that if one person would perform an act of kindness, it would begin a chain reaction of others doing random acts of kindness. 

Now, over 2 years later, over 160 teenagers have worked together with Ground Zero leaders to make a tangible difference in their communities.  Acts of kindness performed have included free car washes, roofing, painting, yard work, washing windows, and helping A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital with their community day.  Atkins said, “We want students to take an active role in their community, but if nothing else, we want those who do not participate [in Project: RAKE] to, at the very least, let this “Project” inspire them to get involved in their community and help someone in a real, tangible way.”

Ground Zero is the Youth Ministry of New London Church located in historic New London, PA. Ground Zero meets weekly on Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for middle school age students and on Fridays from 7:00 to 10:00 pm for senior high & young adults.  All 6th-12th grade students & young adults are invited to attend.  New London Church is located at 1986 Newark Road/Rte.  896, 20 minutes north of Newark, DE just minutes south of State Rd. in the heart of New London.  For safety purposes, please drop off and pick up your teens in the rear of the church.  For more information about Ground Zero or Project RAKE, please call the GZ Office at 610/869-7332 or visit www.GZYouth.com & www.ProjectRake.com

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