By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Some Great Bend volunteers are ready for round two of their "Damn it, Do it!" campaign. Last June, the group worked to clean up properties in the 900 block of Jefferson. On Sept. 24, the project turns its attention to the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Odell Street.
"Anybody that's driven down there, there's quite a bit that can be done down there," said Ryan Fairchild, who helps coordinate the project. "It's not just cleaning yards, it's also going to be helping to fix downed gutters and things of that nature. We've got some spots where we may end up having to patch some roofs. We may also need to do some trim boards up there, some fascia boards."
Last year, more than 40 volunteers showed up for the inaugural campaign, refurbishing the exterior of four homes over the course of a Saturday.
"It was fantastic," Fairchild said. "We have people that lived in the dwellings that were absolutely thankful. We also had people around the area and others in the community, how just cleaning up even a small piece of the community really ups that pride."
Fairchild said area properties can fall into disarray for a variety of reasons. The goal of Damn It, Do It is to provide community outreach for those unable to do repairs themselves.
"You get people who think these things go into disrepair or look as they do because people just don't care," he said. "A lot of time it's because they don't have the ability or the time. You get a lot of people who are older or may have an ailment that doesn't allow them to get out and take care of the property as they would like to. We're just coming along and putting community back into the community."
Fairchild said sponsors and volunteers are always welcome. For more information or to sign up as a sponsor or volunteer, click HERE.