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May 22, 2009

Not just one day — 05/24/09

Expanding Repair Affair will help more people in need

Anonymous The Daily Independent Fri May 22, 2009, 04:39 PM EDT

The annual Repair Affair has been so popular in Ashland that organizers are considering making it more than just a one-day, once-a-year event. If so, the city could qualify for more money, but more importantly, the homes of far more low-income, elderly and disabled Ashland residents would receive needed repairs and new coats of paint.

Nearly 200 volunteers painted, hammered and nailed their way through 28 different projects in Ashland on May 16, bringing the total number of projects completed during the last nine years to 505, according to Mike Miller, Ashland’s director of Planning and Community Development.

Because of Repair Affair’s success, Miller said organizers are taking a serious look at forming a nonprofit entity in an effort to expand services. “If we go that route, it opens us up to more funding. We could do a year-round project,” he added.

Repair Affair’s corps of volunteers — mostly representing local churches, civic organizations and businesses and industries — are driving the effort to make it more than a one-day event. Volunteers often contact him about volunteering for the spring event months before a date has even been set and often make suggestions about how to improve the next year’s projects, Miller said.

Volunteer groups also often purchase all the supplies for the particular project they will complete. And local businesses donate or offer deep discounts on materials needed for the repairs. That enables more projects to be completed for the same amount of money.

Ashland’s Repair Affair started with a grant from the Kentucky Housing Corp. in 2000. After three years, the annual project was to be self-sustaining — and that’s exactly what has happened.

And the idea has been contagious. Grayson launched its own successful Repair Affair largely because of the success of Ashland’s event.

The expansion of Repair Affair could come in stages, beginning with a fall Repair Affair that concentrates on winterizing homes, Miller said. That’s an excellent idea.

Many of the Repair Affair volunteers are not skilled craftsmen, but Repair Affair assigns them tasks based on their abilities. And, as with volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Repair Affair volunteers learn new skills by giving of their time to help others.

We like the idea of expanding Repair Affair. It has worked too well and helped too many people to limit it to just one day a year.

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Expanding Repair Affair will help more people in need

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