Church volunteers fix up two group homes

Nine men with developmental disabilities living in two group homes in the North Springfield area got a nice surprise when they returned from outings Saturday evening.

While they were gone, volunteers from several Annandale churches spent the day fixing up their homes.

The annual event is carried out by a partnership of the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) and the Arlington-Fairfax-Falls Church affiliate of Rebuilding Together. ACCA sponsors two homes a year.

Sixteen people from John Calvin Presbyterian Church, Ravensworth Baptist Church, and Providence Presbyterian Church worked on a home on Long Pine Drive.

They painted the interior, built a roof for the backyard patio, and built planter boxes. Volunteers from Queen of Apostles Catholic Church brought lunch for the workers.

Another volunteer team – from Annandale United Methodist Church and St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church – fixed up a group home on Southampton Drive in Kings Park.

The church members painted and extended the carport, lined the driveway with gravel, painted the fence, and power-washed and stained the deck. Lincolnia United Methodist Church supplied lunch.

The two homes are among the 17 group homes for developmentally and intellectually disabled adults operated by the Hartwood Foundation. Some of the occupants also have physical disabilities. Fifteen of the homes are in Fairfax County; the other two are in Henrico County outside Richmond.

The average age of occupants is mid-50s, says Hartwood Executive Director Sean McGinnis. Each home is overseen by a staff member 24/7.

ACCA donates funds to Rebuilding Together, which is used for paint, lumber, and other supplies, says Laurie Lewis of John Calvin Presbyterian Church. The Hartwood Foundation works with ACCA to determine what needs to be done and what the volunteers can handle.