The Homes By Lainie Team believes in giving back! Pottsboro Great Days of Service, 2014!

The HomesByLainie Team was proud to participate in the Pottsboro Great Days of Service 2014 on June 26th!  Our crew, along with Robert & Linda Honey from Blue Water Valuation Services and three volunteers from Pottsboro's Lakeway Resale Barn did some yard clean-up and brush/trash haul-off for some long-time Pottsboro residents! These fine folks couldn't do it for themselves due to failing health. At another property, some general trash haul off was completed from a resident's storage barn, and some beautiful yard work at another!

We were more than happy to jump in and "give back" to this wonderful community! That's what the HomesByLainie Team and Keller Williams believe in!

See the official herald Democrat story below these two pics of our HomesByLainie Team in action.

Pictured, L-R: Tim Pike, Jennifer Jensen-Rice, Lainie Ramsey, Mark Berg, Courtney Caswell, Robert Honey, Glynda Ruiz, and Linda Honey

By Miranda Wilcox Herald Democrat 

 POTTSBORO — “We’ve only run into one tarantula,” Anita Lewis said as she paused from raking leaves. Lewis is a volunteer for Pottsboro Great Days of Service, where she and her team help her community by providing service work. “No snakes, no rats; I call that a successful day.” Lewis is one of about 15 people working on a project for Pottsboro Great Days of Service. Thursday launched the fifth year for GDS in Pottsboro, spearheaded by the Pottsboro Ministerial Alliance and comprised of Lakeway United Methodist Church, St. John Episcopal Church, Preston Community Church, Hagerman Baptist Church, Georgetown Baptist Church and First Baptist Church. The churches, volunteers, businesses and several organizations came together to assist those in the community who may be physically or financially unable to provide needed home repairs or improvements for themselves. Ron Janson of Lakeway United Methodist Church was overseeing the project at Carol King’s property, where her mother and husband are both on oxygen and need constant attention. “It used to be we would go to Alabama for mission trips out there,” Janson said. “We realized that’s crazy — there’s plenty of people here who need help.” 

 Before getting sick, King’s husband Jim would gather items and sell them back as salvage for the three of them to have some extra money. With him sick and the work falling to the side, the yard had collected trash and objects and the house had fallen into disrepair. It was too much for one person. King discovered Pottsboro Great Days of Service when Meals on Wheels brought over a brochure, asking for a list of possible projects. King wrote down that she would appreciate whatever the project coordinators could do. “I’m a giver,” King said. “I’ve never taken before. I’m a person that does things for other people so this is new. … When I came home today I couldn’t believe it. There were 11 or 12 cars all parked down there, people were working busy as beavers, just cleaning up this mess that’s been here for 20 years.” With over 100 volunteers, Pottsboro Great Days of Service will continue working on 40 projects over the next two days. These will include moving trash, putting the roof on a trailer house, installing a wheelchair ramp, painting houses and even fixing light poles. “Lots of people need help down here, and other places too,” Pottsboro GDS Project Coordinator Glen Murley said. “… We say we’re serving Christ through serving our community.” 

While the crew cleaned out King’s yard, they gathered items they could donate to the Lakeway Christian Community Resale Barn, which would use the proceeds from selling the donated materials to help people in a crisis situation, whether that be stocking the local food pantry, paying for electricity bills or filling prescriptions for Pottsboro residents. The help she received made Thursday an emotional day for King. She said the work being done had the possibility of turning life around for all three residents in her household. “This stuff is going to help (my mother) so much,” King said. “She’ll be able to get out, and we’ll be able to get the wheelchair around.” She had to smile as she helped the workers pick up some tires that had been stashed on a shelf outside. “To me this is a vacation, because this is the first time I’ve had eight hours to be able to do anything outside, so this is wonderful for me,” King said. The crew at her house will fix a leaning light pole, finish cleaning the yard, smooth out the floors to make it easier to move the wheelchair and replace a broken window. Those interested in helping with Great Days of Service can contact any of the churches in the Ministerial Alliance to volunteer or donate. 

Keller Williams Realty