Union & Community Volunteers Team Up for Repair Affair

Union student Chevelle Jones applies sealant to a deck during the 11th annual Repair Affair.

An early morning bout with rain didn’t dampen the spirits of over 100 volunteers who scattered throughout Knox County Saturday armed with hammers and a mission. After meeting for breakfast on the Union College campus, volunteer teams spent the day serving low-income or disabled residents whose homes were in need of repair.

According to Elise Ratterman, a student coordinator of this year’s Repair Affair, the event went smoothly and was organized so as to make it easy for volunteers to participate. “In the weeks leading up to the event we tried to plan everything and cover every base,” she said. “I’m very pleased with the turnout of community members, faculty and staff, and students and athletic teams.”

Volunteers did everything from electrical wiring to building stairs, painting, weatherproofing, installing locks on doors and leveling floors. They worked in teams of five to 10 volunteers, with each team assigned to one of the11 homes chosen for repair during this year’s event.

Jeremy Agbomi, a Union College student and football player, unloads equipment during Saturday’s Repair Affair.

At one area residence, homeowners had high-level help removing and replacing windows. Union’s leadership team, including the president, vice presidents, deans and the athletic director, joined volunteers in giving up a Saturday for the annual tradition. “Repair Affair is my favorite event of the year,” said Debbie D’Anna, Union’s dean of student life. “We’re able to give back to Barbourville and work as a team to make someone’s life a little more comfortable.”

Dr. Tom McFarland, Union’s vice president for academic affairs, also looks forward to Repair Affair. “You come away with a sense that perhaps, in some small way, you have made a difference in an individual’s or a family’s life, and that is a very good feeling,” he said. “It makes the labors of the event very much worthwhile.”

The Knox County Repair Affair, now in its eleventh year, began in 1997 as a joint effort between Union College and KCEOC. A grant initially helped fund Repair Affair, which has since relied on the support of community organizations, individuals and businesses. The annual event is coordinated by Common Partners, Union’s student-led community service office.

April 24, 2008

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