LD Swopes Project

Laura Dawn Swopes is a single mother who lives in Midland and she has been an active member in the community for years. She has 2 adorable son's and she works a full-time job to support her family. She does this alone for the most part with no additional income or assistance and she has a hard time accepting help, she feels there might be someone else out there that needs it more then her. She is very unselfish and that is a beautiful quality to have. H.O.T. Youth chose to select this project where we would make over 2 of her bedrooms in her home. As most single mother's they put themselves last and their children first, so we wanted LD to have a space of her own and also take some burden off of her shoulders. The home is an older home and as all home owners know repairs can get quite costly. When your on a fixed budget some things go without repair and you find an alternative.

Some of the items H.O.T. Youth repaired, a ceiling fan that stopped working, a shower head completely missing and a hole in the tile, a washer with a drain issue and drywall missing on the wall behind it, some electrical outlets didn't work and all of those items were repaired prior to us coming to the project by a Volunteer who not only donated his time but he paid for all those items as well. On the day of the project we prepped and painted 2 bedrooms and a hallway, handles were put on cabinets in a bathroom, garage door repaired, furniture was purchased and put together and room decor was purchased to be put up on another day when the paint was fully dried. We also helped her clean some areas of her home, not that she needed it, but to give her a feeling where she would be able to just relax and not do something for a few days. This project had approximately 25 volunteer's that showed up and one blessing we received was a group we witnessed the H.O.T. Youth program to just the Sunday before and every single one of the Ascent Youth from Asbury United Methodist Church showed up to the project and reported they absolutely loved it. Paying it forward is a very humbling experience and I am so honored every one of the Youth were able to experience that. All of the Volunteer's worked diligently & unselfishly always asking what else can we do to help her.

This project reflected a pure sense of compassion from many and by the end-of-the-day to see her face and expressions of gratitude made every moment worth it. LD we "thank you" for letting us come into your home to help you & your family.