GREAT FALLS – With the help of 72 volunteers and numerous community partners, the Bandsaw Brothers service project benefitting the Grace Home is finally completed with its initial construction.
The new garage will be a woodworking and mentoring shop for veterans to engage and keep their hands as well as their minds busy.
Bill Chafin, the project manager, said the garage will also be a place where residents can build their family supplies before transitioning back into the community.
Edward Aguasanta, who is a Grace Home resident, said, “A collaboration between the veterans and the community and the Grace Home – I think it’s tremendously important for all of us to work together to help give a feeling of well self-worth back to the veterans and a sense of pride back to the community.”
Edward mentioned that a lot of veterans get depressed because they are no longer doing anything. The vocation center will give the chance back to these veterans to re-engage and feel a sense of purpose again.
A class dubbed ‘High School House’ was told at the beginning of the school year that on top of building a house, they would also be helping out with the building of a new garage for the Grace Home.
Out of the 72 volunteers, 22 of them were high school student from both Great Falls High School and C.M. Russell High School.
One student, Reno Pospisil, who is a Great Falls High School senior, said, “It’s pretty cool, you get to give back to your community, hopefully come by here someday when I’m older and say, ‘Hey, I built that.’”
He mentioned there was a variety of different weather patterns while building the garage, but ultimately they needed to complete the project “We’ve seen the 90 degrees, we’ve seen the 30 degrees, with rain and wind and cold, but we got to get it done,” Reno added.
Utilizing the new workspace, the Grace Home will work in cooperation with St. Vincent de Paul by refinishing and repurposing furniture and other items, which will then be given to the My Neighbor In Need Program.
Grace Home is at 2211 5th Avenue North; they are always grateful for donations such as tools, old furniture, and anything the vets can refurbish.
More information can be found on their Facebook page, or click here for more info.
Reporting by Kasey Herman for MTN News
