BY K. MCSTAY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Little has changed for Great Days of Service. As Dr. Jim Pledger, the pastor of First United Methodist Church of Sherman said, people's needs just don't change. Food, shelter, and occasionally, someone to let them know the community cares.

The program, said Director Sandy Garbacik, began 14 years ago, and included house maintenance and nursing home visits as well as city clean ups, reading programs and other activities. The Service Academy for Youth, a camp for children that encourages community service, began a year after Great Days of Service.

"We expand upon it every year," Garbacik said. The program, she said, was designed to encourage different churches to work together while helping the community.

"There's lots of things that separates us in terms of churches and the ways we do things," Pledger said. "But what separates us is not as powerful as what we hold in common."

At 9 a.m. on Thursday, a van of school-age campers arrived at a rickety bridge in Fairview Park, and adult volunteers arrived with wood sealant, paint brushes and rollers. Marty Richardson supervised the children while Beth Besterfeldt painted between the cracks of the planks.

"I really enjoy working with the children," Richardson said. "They get such a feeling of accomplishment." The campers, she said, learn fellowship and values while they serve the community.

"I love the look on their faces when they learn there's more to the world than just them," Besterfeldt said.

Jackson Shumate, 12, painted the planks of the bridge, wielding a roller in each hand and keeping the sweat out of his eyes with a bandana tied along his forehead. "I'm just looking forward to the work," he said. Though he previously helped his mother pack lunches for the Service Academy campers, the 2009 Great Days of Service was his first.

"It's a lot of fun," Jackson said. The painting was more difficult than he expected, he said, particularly as he slipped along the planks. "Though I like it so far."

Madelyn Shank, 11, banded together with two camp mates to paint the rails along the side of the bridge. "It's easier than I expected," she said. Working on projects to benefit the community was a highlight of the camp, she said. "I like to see how everybody will like it. We've done lots of stuff." She, like Jackson, said the camp was lots of fun.

Across town on North Hoard Avenue, another group of campers finished the painting of a house. The heat was intense, and many of the group walked around with T-shirt sleeves rolled up and white paint decorating clothing, skin and occasionally hair.

The campers are generally excited when progress is made, said Susie Viars-Thomas, the personnel director for the Service Academy. "They love it," she said. Brittney Flutey, 16, broke in as she walked past with paint and a roller. "It feels good to be needed," she said.

Many of the camp counselors are campers themselves, Garbacik said. Mark Henry is such a case. After being a counselor-in-training, he returned to assisted the other campers. The children, he said, often open up over the period of the camp, becoming more talkative as the days go on. "I definitely see them learning," Henry said.

Brandon Koone, a counselor-in-training, said he was in the day camp, for the younger kids, and just graduated from the residential camp to his current position. "As far as work goes, it's the same," he said. "I like that quite a bit."

There's conversation throughout the work, contributing to the fun atmosphere of the camp, but the experience can have serious results. "It puts it all in perspective," Koone said. "It allows us to step up." More than that, he said, it allows the children to help out other residents of Sherman. "They maybe can't afford to paint their houses," he said. "We help them catch a break."

Two new campers, Keith Gilvor, 18, and Josh Dickerson, 16, both said they joined the camp because their friends recommended it. "We're giving back to the community," Gilvor said. "It makes you feel good." Dickerson said the work wasn't particularly difficult. "It's more fun than anything."

Both agreed that the hardest aspect of the work was the heat. "Though it's nothing a little water dumped over the head wouldn't help," Gilvor said.

Several other groups of campers wandered along Sherman streets with spray paint cans, fixing numbers on curbs to aid emergency responders in locating houses. One group painted a white rectangle, while another group followed behind with black paint and number stencils. "This is our second day," said Ryan Buston, the camp counselor for the group. "We've done five blocks."

Buston said several residents have wondered what was going on, but the groups also put fliers in mailboxes to explain. "They're generally appreciative," he said. "It's taking pride in the little things."

Robert Fallon, 17, and Sidney Phillips, 16, were both part of the first wave of campers, painting white rectangles. "It shows how much we really do care," Fallon said. "It means a lot to them." He said he gained respect for the community over the day. "I've seen a lot more of Sherman."

Phillips, who participated in the camp for the first time, said he heard it was fun as well as a way to serve the community. "We've gotten a lot of appreciation," he said. "It makes you feel great." Getting to interact with residents as well as other campers is fun, he said, and he, like Fallon, had fun learning about Sherman. "There's a maze of streets," he said. "I have a new respect for the people."

Over the three days of service, the campers and adult volunteers completed seven houses, seven benches and a considerable number of address paintings. "These kids are learning to give back to the community," Pledger said. "This is something that the Sherman community is doing for one another."

The home paintings and other major projects are in addition to less visible activities, such as visiting nursing homes and reading to children, as well thanking public servants and visiting individuals at the boot camp. The Great Days of Service team gathered more than 30 tons of food, some donated by local businesses, to donate to various charities. "The community really comes forward," Pledger said. "This is our critical year." He said, with the economic downturn the need for food is something to relate to.

"You hear a lot about what happens if people don't do anything," Pledger said. "I think that's what makes Sherman different: We know there are needs, and people are making contributions."

The experience, said Pledger, is a memorable one each year. "Its one of those things, it keeps me going all year long."