Camp Hanover welcomed a group of volunteers from Mariners in Mission to camp April 14-20. Members of the service organization donate their time and abilities to Presbyterian camps, churches, or schools through two to three work weeks held annually.
Mariners collaborate with the host organization to determine the week’s projects. Typical jobs include construction, repairs, painting, and sewing.
At Camp Hanover, the group repaired benches and built tables at two fire circles, made new cabin signs, and built gates to complete the new garden fence. They also hemmed curtains for the Wise Cabins and repaired the field backstop.
This is the second work week the Mariners have held at Camp Hanover. During the first, in 2013, the volunteers constructed the boardwalk to Wise Lodge.
The group who came to Camp Hanover included 11 people. Many of them have been volunteering with MIM for fifteen or more years, although some have been a part of it since the 1980s.
Over the years, they have become good friends and see the work weeks as a kind of family reunion. Some have even made the trips family affairs, with adult children joining their parents.
They relish the opportunity to travel the country in service together. When not working, they share morning watch, evening vespers, and puzzles and games like Mexican Train Dominoes.
The closest volunteers were from South Carolina; the farthest, from Iowa. Participants drive to their work sites so they can bring the tools and equipment they use during the week. Kendall, from Iowa, shared that his commute was 17 hours each direction. Barbara, John, and their son, Scott, also from Iowa, made the journey in their RV so that they could bring Scott’s dog.
The group also included DuPre and Manella (South Carolina); Jeff and Diana (Florida); and Frank, Ellen, and Jeff (Michigan).
We are grateful for their generous blessings of time and talent to Camp Hanover.
To learn more about Mariners in Mission or get involved, email Manella Calhoun or Daryl Philipp.