'ABWK' puts out the call for Sept. mission week here

The good works provided by an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity are starting to be noticed around the area; as dilapidated homesites are made safe and attractive once again by the newly formed local volunteers with “A Brush With Kindness.” But the invisible consequences of ABWK’s activity matter just as much, if not more, than the outward results. The sustaining pay-off comes through providing actionable opportunity for compassionate persons to lift others’ spirits and in turn, lift themselves.

Founding members of the East Central Minnesota ABWK group, Pastor Dan Doughty of Lindstrom’s First United Methodist and Al Rasmussen, from Sunrise, came by the newspaper office to spread the word out about a special upcoming ABWK event. The organization is going to concentrate on a bunch of projects and get them done this September, in a “mission week” style program. If you have one day or even the whole week to take part in local projects, they want to hear from you. Between September 14 and 21 (Saturday to Saturday with Sunday off) volunteer teams, led by skilled supervisors will be roofing, doing various home repairs, painting, and more. A Brush With Kindness is now accepting monetary donations and/or commitment of your time. (See volunteer application and donation details in box.)

And, if you can’t physically help you are welcome to do what you can, like make snacks/baked goods for work crews, for example. Contact a local church to get involved or if you aren’t a church-goer, call or send an e mail to the East Central Brush With Kindness chapter at [email protected]. There is also an ongoing sign-up list being maintained for those who own homes in need of work. ABWK will consider projects for people who must live in the home being worked on, and meet a single person annual income max of $39,200. Homeowners are also expected to assist in the tasks. You also have to let Al Rasmussen or a coordinator come see the project site to qualify.

Large, very costly projects will require that the homeowner promise to donate towards the cost, either now or later when there’s a sale or re-financing This is a volunteer effort so volunteers don’t take on multi-story structures or extensive rebuilds. Interior and exterior needs will be evaluated. Mission Week Idea Pastor Doughty said it is admirable how churches support and organize manpower for mission week efforts all across the globe. But a couple years ago, he and Rasmussen were returning together from a Kentucky mission trip, and they wondered why not nurture this same volunteerism locally? Improve housing stock right where community volunteers live. Plus, the money that goes into mission travel and accommodations could be applied more cost-effectively to the locally-based projects.

The men felt called to investigate offering a housing improvement program to this local area, but hurdles popped up everywhere. Rasmussen said he talked to redevelopment agencies and government officials, but strict guidelines keep most qualifying homeowners to a narrow range of eligibility and inflexible rules and regulations got in their way. They heard about Habitat for Humanity’s “A Brush With Kindness,” program and realized theirs was not a novel idea. A Brush With Kindness provided an existing, ideal conduit for what the men had in mind. Habitat for Humanity, as a 501C-3 non profit, handles all the finances, insurance, keeps up on regulations, and serves as a depository for ABWK donations. Rasmussen said that with the major bureaucratic needs covered, a few months ago, the new East Central Minnesota chapter of ABWK finally could gain some traction.

In Minnesota A Brush With Kindness also has chapters serving regions from Bemidji to Red Wing, and Fergus Falls to Duluth. Pastor Doughty said people are understanding that government can’t, and shouldn’t, be expected to tackle all social ills. When people have lost the ability to care for their property or have fallen into circumstances that keep them down, it is our responsibility to pitch in and help, he commented. Serving God, he said, starts a domino effect of creating hope, freeing people who feel burdened, allowing them to do positive things of their own. There is no downside to this, the pastor states.