If ever there was a project that touched the hearts of local remodelers, it was the need for renovations at The Wrenn House – the only Triangle safe house for youth ages 10-17 who run away from home, are homeless, or are otherwise in a crisis situation. For 15 years, the Wrenn House program has been in the 90-year-old house, which was in desperate need of repairs. The project was a perfect match for our group.
TrendMark worked as part of the team put together by the Remodelers Council of Raleigh-Wake County. ALL members responded with great enthusiasm, including vendors, who were quite generous with materials! During the first week of June, the facility closed while volunteers replaced 27 windows, removed walls, painted the exterior, repaired a plumbing leak, and repaired the front porch. Volunteers also worked to replace the gutters, replace the ramp in the back, and replace the back door, as well as paint the interior and replace the light fixtures and carpet.
Everyone who was part of this project was overwhelmed by the response of the volunteers and donating vendors. It just goes to show you that even during a difficult economic period such as this one, people are willing to lend a helping hand for a worthwhile cause in the community, whether it’s with their time, materials, some funding, or anything they can do to chip in!
The original scope of the work grew from repairs to a whole house renovation as members saw the needs of the facility and the results of their efforts to provide an emergency shelter to these youth in crisis. The project is a perfect match for the Council’s community service goals, due to the very limited budgets that organizations like Wrenn House are experiencing during the current sluggish economy.
Most of all, it’s a project filled with satisfaction, knowing that the lives of the staff and of the kids who stay there will be changed by the efforts our group has expended. It fills all of us in the Council with pride to simply see our donated efforts rewarded by being able to amplify the organization’s hard work to reach these young people during a very challenging time in their lives – their stays can range from one day to several weeks.Great job, everyone!
