Group helps to build a better community World Changers volunteers work on Freehold properties BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer Working in the heat of the July sun for a week, painting houses, repairing roofs and removing aging porches may not seem like the ideal summer vacation, but a group of young people from all over the country seem to believe it is, and they even paid to do it. CHRIS KELLY staff World Changers volunteers Shane Alldredge (l-r) and Daniel Armendariz work to remove a deteriorating porch on a home in Freehold Borough. Alldredge, who is from Alabama, and Armendariz, who hails from Texas, were among a group of volunteers who came to Freehold to help make repairs on several homes. They are part of a program called World Changers. The idea is to rehabilitate homes for deserving people and by doing so, to make a difference in their lives. The motivation is spiritual. These youngsters say they are working for God and, in the process, are bringing pride of ownership back to some people who may have lost it along the way. The goal of World Changers is to change the world one community at a time, and Freehold Borough was selected as one of the program's destinations this year. World Changers, a ministry of the North American Mission Board Southern Baptist Convention, is sending 23,000 youngsters out to work on 85 projects this summer. According to World Changers mission communication specialist Ally Edge, 335 youngsters and staff members from 12 states arrived in New Jersey with the goal of improving the lives of individuals by helping to rehabilitate their homes and apartments. The group members made Freehold and Neptune their home from July 5 to July 12. "This is one of the best welcomes we've received," Edge said, commenting on the World Changers' arrival in Freehold Borough. Edge, who has been with World Changers for three years in a supervisory position, started out as a teen just like the youngsters who are now under her guidance. "It gets in your blood," she said. Edge said it sometimes takes a while for people to realize the young people are doing this just to make a difference in the lives of another individual. "It's a hard concept to conceive," she said. According to Edge, about 90 young people were scheduled to work on six properties in Freehold Borough, and Jane Wiliamovich was very happy they came to town. Surrounded by scaffolding, hammers, nails and lumber, Wiliamovich watched from a lawn chair as volunteers worked on her home, pulling materials off an aging porch in need of attention. Under the supervision of Shane Alldredge, a contractor from Guntersville, Ala., crew supervisor Chris Swenda and crew chief Keith Falls, a gas fitter from Tuscaloosa, Ala., work was progressing on the home Wiliamovich has lived in for almost 40 years. She said she was grateful to have the assistance the World Changers were providing, because she wants to remain in her home. Why did these young volunteers give up part of their summer so they could spend eight hours a day working in the hot sun and then sleep in a high school gym in Neptune hundreds of miles away from home? Crew encourager Daniel Armendariz from McAllen, Texas, summed up the reason by saying, "We are here for the love of Christ. He has called us to serve, and this is how we do that." Armendariz is a member of the Prima Iglesai Bautista Church in Texas. He is a University of Texas-Pan-American student who is also working as a missionary with George Russ, pastor of Colts Neck Baptist Church, doing outreach with Freehold's Latino population. He was planning to spend time teaching English classes at the New Beginnings Agape Christian Center in Freehold Borough. Falls, a member of the Flatwoods Baptist Church in Alabama, said the young people are "willing" and "go-getters." Those in the World Changers program range in age from about 12 through young adult. They were working under the supervision of Alldredge, who is a member of the Sweet Home Baptist Church in Alabama. A professional construction crew was expected to complete the work on Wiliamovich's residence after the World Changers headed for home. According to Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina, the mission of the organization is to change the lives of the participants by giving them the opportunity to change someone else's world. The idea to bring World Changers to Monmouth County came from Russ, whose congregation from Colts Neck Baptist Church had participated in the program before. "We have been involved with World Changers for five years, with our volunteers going to Buffalo and Canada, among other places," Russ said. Russ said Neptune Mayor Randy Bishop and Bellina, with support from Freehold Borough Mayor Michael Wilson, "worked with us to make this happen." He said the church's motto is "helping all people find real life." Bellina said he was impressed with the young people who came to work in Freehold. He said, "They are making a significant contribution to make Freehold Borough a better place to live." While the volunteers were in Monmouth County, they had the facilities of Neptune High School at their disposal to use as a base. The facility was offered by Richard Allen, principal of Neptune High School, who is a former administrator in the Freehold Regional High School District. Host churches provided meals, and the El Meson restaurant in Freehold provided lunch for the people who were working at Wiliamovich's home. A worship service for the participants was held each evening. Edge said World Changers officials want youngsters to have a meaningful experience to grow spiritually to take home with them. Students in the program split their time between Freehold Borough and Neptune rehabilitating residences. Adults who accompanied the students included craftsmen such as roofers, painters and carpenters. L ocal officials worked with World Changers to secure the materials needed for the jobs at hand. Bellina said the World Changers administrators chose the properties they believed would benefit the most from their work force. Properties on Broadway, Bennett Street, Bowne Avenue, East Freehold Road, Throckmorton Street and at the Rug Mill Towers received attention. Local companies that helped make everything possible were the Earle Asphalt Co., Builders General, Higgins Memorial Home, Colors to Go, Freehold Raceway, Freehold Savings and Loan, Sun Bank, and Wachovia Bank. Also contributing to the effort were Norkus Foodtown, the Rotary Club of Freehold, the Sunrise Optimist Club of Freehold, Delicious Orchards, the New Jersey Natural Gas Co. and Coca-Cola. Jersey Shore University Medical Center and New Jersey Natural Gas provided T-shirts for the World Changers. Russ said the World Changers expect to return to Freehold Borough and Neptune next year. Bellina indicated that would be fine with Freehold officials. "If they do return, we are fortunate enough to already have a blueprint in place as to how to proceed together. I hope they (World Changers) feel we worked well with them. We have a foundation on which to build a nice program over time. "Some homes are beneficiaries of the talent and sweat equity unselfishly poured into them by these young people. However, the town as a whole is the beneficiary of their love and commitment to making the larger society a better place in which to live. The Freehold family has opened their doors and their hearts to the World Changers family," Bellina said.