CNY Teens To Repair More Than 50 Syracuse Area Homes

There are more than 300 teens age 14 to 20 six states doing hands-on home repair projects for elderly, low-income and disabled families. The volunteers are here through a Syracuse Workcamp which is sponsored by Group Mission Trips in Ft. Collins, Colorado and Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church in Syracuse.

The kids arrive this Sunday and will leave the following  Saturday after a week of working on 54 homes in Syracuse as well as Nedrow, Camillus, Cicero, Clay, DeWitt, Liverpool, Marcellus, Skaneateles, Jamesville, and Minoa.

"A couple of years ago when Syracuse became dubiously noted as the leader in the nation among cities with the highest poverty rate it was clear that it was time for us to bring a workcamp here," Rev. Robert Langston, the pastor of Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church, said in a news release. The Paster has lead 13 groups of students to workcamps in 10 different states over the last 16 years.

More than 70 adult volunteers are helping the youth during the workcamp and over $55,000 has been raised to fund the mission. There are 316 participants from New York, Indiana, New Jersy, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Each participant pays $465 per person to take part in the workcamp.

[syracuse]