Above: International students Bill Hoang Thien Long, Luka Grgurevic review measurements for window inserts with CHIP Crew Leader Darin Carlucci and Community Volunteer Joe Guttentag; student and community volunteers work together to build ramp at a home in Newcastle

On September 14, 2024, student volunteers from Lincoln Academy joined forces with the Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) for a community-wide volunteer event, Community Cares Day. The students worked at three sites. One large group spent the day building insulating window inserts on campus, another group helped a neighbor in Newcastle build a handicapped access ramp for her mother who recently suffered a stroke, and a student joined a team in Bristol and helped replace a rotten entryway on a mobile home with a safe landing and stairs.

“I love that Community Cares Day has become one of our fall traditions at LA,” said Sarah Kennedy, who has coordinated Lincoln Academy projects with CHIP since 2017. “Our students learn valuable skills while helping their neighbors. It’s been a great way to give back to the community.”
This year marked the sixth consecutive year that students have built insulating window inserts with CHIP. To date, the volunteers have successfully built and delivered inserts to 25 local households. The inserts significantly cut down on drafts, reducing fuel expenses and keeping residents safe and warm during the coldest months of the year.
At all three worksites, students were joined by experienced community members who taught them how to use tools, measure and cut lumber, and wrap window insert frames in plastic film and foam tape to create a barrier against the cold. The final step in the window insert process involves using hair dryers to shrink the plastic film to fit the frame. The window insert project was made possible thanks to generous material donations from Hancock Lumber and Lamatek.

At the ramp building site, six students helped build an access ramp for a home in Newcastle that will greatly improve the homeowner’s mobility and independence. “The students worked hard alongside CHIP volunteers, learned to put deck boards on a frame, and got familiar with tools,” said LA teacher Bryan Manahan, who accompanied the students on the project. “They worked super hard and were patient with the inevitable head scratching and framing that had to happen before they could start on the decking. I was particularly impressed with how they helped each other learn the skills needed to get the job done. A huge thanks to Zack and Allan Davis, and the other community volunteers on this project.”

When a team member called last minute to say he could not come to a site in Bristol, the Cares Day planning team reached out to Lydia Zimmerman, an LA Senior to see if she could fill the spot. As a past board member, Lydia’s mom was supportive of the assignment and Lydia was enthusiastic to help wherever she could. “I am strong and determined. I can help with anything you need and am a fast learner,” she wrote on the sign up form.

Lydia shared that she had a great experience. “I had the opportunity to learn how to use power tools, build structures from scratch, and work with others physically and mentally, ” says Lydia. “Our group of three adults and myself completed a lovely landing deck and set of stairs for a mobile home. It was a wonderful time getting to know some elders of my community, connecting with strangers that related to me in the most unexpected of ways, and feeling fulfilled through giving back to my community.”