Rowland Blvd. gets a fresh look from volunteers

By Carrie A. Mizell

Residents of Rowland Boulevard in Trenton were surprised recently when a church group from Gainesville drove up one Saturday morning and began clearing weeds, mowing lots and pressure washing homes.
Many asked, “Why?”
The group of 25, who are all members of Grace at Fort Clark United Methodist Church, were showing their “Faith in Action.”
Paul Emery, mission director at the Newberry Road church, implemented the mission work, explained Julie Cole, a church member and volunteer. The church foregoes one service each quarter and spends the weekend in service to the community at nearly a dozen locations throughout north central Florida.

Volunteer Julie Cole carries tree limbs from in front of a mobile home on Saturday, July 18.

Deemed “Faith in Action” the mission projects draw anywhere from 200 to 300 volunteers from within the church, Cole said.
“We go to nursing homes and conduct a service,” Cole said. “We go to neighborhoods and community centers.”
During the weekend of July 18, Rowland Boulevard was just one of 12 projects the church members targeted.
Once they arrived in Trenton the group, which included five men from a Hispanic church in Gainesville, worked from 9:30 a.m. to just after 1 p.m. mowing lawns, power washing homes and mobile homes and cleaning up trash.
“We got a couple of 20 yard dumpsters and told all the residents they could trash whatever bulk items they wanted to get rid of,” Cole said. “Our goal is to provide some assistance on those costly projects.
The five men from the Hispanic church are really reaching out to residents of Bell and Trenton, Cole explained.
According to Cole, the goal is simple, show people that God is love and that he inspires the volunteers to help others.
“Though it’s not really a big deal, it is the least we can do to show our neighbors that God has their backs,” Cole said.

Mobile homes along Rowland Boulevard in Trenton were pressure washed and weeds
were cut down by volunteers from Fort Clark United Methodist Church in Gainesville.

Diane Rondolet, code enforcement officer for Gilchrist County, met with the volunteers the day before the clean up to establish a plan of action. According to Cole, Rondolet is doing a great job for the county.
“She [Rondolet] was there picking weeds herself that day and she brought a couple of friends who wanted to duplicate the effort elsewhere in the county,” Cole said. “Diane is really dedicated.”
Those friends were Carl and Geneva Cornwell of the Character Council of Gilchrist County, who are currently considering forming a service group similar to the church’s initiative.
“Oh, how this could be re-created by others,” Cole said. “It’s not that hard, or expensive. It’s work, but also lots of fun.”