Renovation Camp Idea for High Schoolers

At Sound View we have the Chalet/Agape Village.  Sometimes it is called "The Shire" because, I guess, the cabins there are the sort that hobbits would live in when they were short on holes.  The cabins are cute.  The three Agapes (built recently) are insulated with bathrooms inside whilst the five chalets (dating back decades are not insulated and are often described as a "wooden tent".

The chalets are used in the summer to house the LITs and the Agapes are staff dwellings.  In the fall, winter and spring, the village is used by various groups.  Of course, the Agapes are popular because they can be made warm while the chalets (although cute) are very cold and cannot hold heat.  Scout groups love the Shire - especially the campfire ring there.  However, those sleeping in chalets wake up as scoutsicles in the morning.

Wouldn't it be neat if all those cabins were weatherized?  They are so small that a minimal heat source would "take the chill out" and body heat would do the rest.  The plan would be to rip out the floor, add insulation, real windows, new floor, new interior walls and ceiling.  While we are at it, create beds more fitting for a family of five so these could be used for family camp any time of the year.  We estimate $1,500 per chalet to do this (there are five of them).

Now, staying true to our mission, wouldn't it be wonderful to train high schoolers in the art of renovation?  How to swing a hammer and work well with others as part of a program preparing them for mission trips while at the same time having fun at camp.

We have a week in August when we could do this sort of a program.  We would recruit volunteer carpenters and handy adults to be teachers/mentors to a dozen teens interested in learning  some new skills.  

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to complete the five chalets and allow 12 to 20 teens to come to camp for free and leave with new skills, and a real project completed that will benefit thousands of people over the years.

Are you interested?  Contact me - director@soundviewcamp.com.  I would love to talk.