North Ga. Church Helping Morningstar Build

Fri, Jul 25, 2003

The Brunswick News

By STEVE SANDERS

 

 

Selflessness may be a rare quality, but the volunteers at Morningstar Treatment Services in Brunswick are full of it, donating their time, energy and money to the youth facility that desperately needs it.

 

Nearly 100 members of the First Baptist Church of Jasper, a small community in the mountains of North Georgia, made the 9 1/2 hour trip to Morningstar earlier this week and have been working pro bono to renovate old facilities and construct new ones.

 

Morningstar is a unique residential treatment program for severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents ages 6-17 who are also intellectually disabled. The non-profit organization relies on contributions from outside groups.

 

"We've never had a group like this before," said Bruce Sweeney, Morningstar's director of community relations, of the group from Jasper. "It's been a blessing to us. This is the only home a lot of these kids have, and it's our goal to make this as close to home as we can."

 

David Stewart, minister of music for the Jasper church group, is spearheading the week-long mission trip.

 

"We're just trying to get as much done in a week as we possibly can," he said, standing before a large group of tents and RVs. "As a church, we think it's very important to get directly involved in the missions.

 

"This is probably our biggest [project] as far as the number of people."

 

Along with constructing new pavilions, the group is renovating and adding on to the bathhouse and gym, as well as providing equipment for outdoor recreation at the cottages.

 

"There's no way we could survive without people like this," Sweeney said, explaining that the Jasper group is just one of many that helps Morningstar from spring until early August every year. "We depend on their contributions, and they have given quite a bit to us."

 

Instead of staying in hotels, the group is sleeping in tents set up around Morningstar. Camping on the grounds is not only cheaper, but it brings everyone closer together, Sweeney said.

 

"We do everything together," he said. "It adds to the intrinsic values and has really become a tradition."

 

The children of Morningstar may not understand the magnitude of the group's contributions, but the volunteers do.

 

"It almost makes me feel guilty," Stewart said humbly. "I'm not gifted to work with children, but I feel really good about being able to do something for them. We're glad we're here."