April 2011 was the launch of the second East Stuart event. This was the biggest event yet with an incredible eight hundred volunteers and the rehab of twenty-seven homes. Many local businesses donated financially and volunteers came from our partner churches and all over the community. Habitat for Humanity furnished the paint and was always there to help. The rehabbed houses where spread all over East Stuart. Neighbors joined neighbors to make a difference. It was truly a wonderful event.
Originally published in TCpalm.com
by Steven Martine
As part of the East Stuart Extreme Martin Makeover, volunteers helped to landscape homes in the community, laying 800 square feet of sod and spreading 320 bags of mulch.
PALM CITY — On Saturday, April 9, a joint effort under the leadership of Habitat Angel and including Keep Martin Beautiful, East Stuart Main Street, the City of Stuart, Hooks Construction, Habitat for Humanity, Lowes and other area volunteer groups painted, beautified and improved homes and churches in the East Stuart community.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., more than 700 volunteers painted 23 homes and two churches, and repaired a total of 40 homes. This was the third year that the Keep Martin Beautiful (KMB) Extreme Martin Makeover focused on the East Stuart community, and the second year that the cleanup included home improvement projects. Residents who benefitted from the revitalization efforts in 2010 were also out in the community, volunteering for this year’s cleanup.
“The turnout from past recipients was one of the most rewarding aspects of the day,” KMB Logistics Coordinator Rob Ranieri said. “These events are designed to not only revitalize and beautify, but also to instill community pride and accountability so the effects will be sustainable and long-lasting. Neighbors helping neighbors is what this is all about, and is exactly what we witnessed during the cleanup.”
The first Extreme Martin Makeover East Stuart project in 2009 was the Gertrude Walden Child Care Center, and this year volunteers again helped to continue improvements to the community center. In addition to the home repairs and painting, volunteers planted 11 trees, laid 800 square feet of sod and spread 320 bags of mulch around all of the homes.
“We had an incredible amount of volunteers from area churches, making our impact even larger,” said Frank Neff, Founder of Habitat Angel. “Never could we have imagined this event would grow so quickly in so few years, but it serves as a shining example of what everyone can do when we work together for a greater purpose.”
While much of the day centered on the revitalization and beautification efforts, litter and waste removal was also a large part of the volunteer work. More than seven tons of bulk material and three tons of vegetation and yard waste was collected during the cleanup.
Thank you to the sponsors who made the 2011 GAC East Stuart Extreme Martin Makeover possible, which include; Keep Martin Beautiful; East Stuart Main Street; South Florida Water Management District; Hooks Construction; Habitat for Humanity of Martin County; The City of Stuart; Lowes; Southern Waste Systems; Red Tail Hawk; Gertrude Walden Child Care Center; Seacoast National Bank; The Firefly Group; GM Construction; Captec Engineering; Lytal, Reiter; Smith, Ivey & Fronrath; Strategic Retirement Group; tc3.org; Alpha Zeta; State Insurance; Surface Doctor; and OxyPros Plus.