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| Repairing Houses and Hopes January 2008
The first week in August each year, Dorothea (Dolly) Greenwood leaves the traffic and busyness of Northern Virginia behind for the tranquility of a town of 300 in the southwest corner of Virginia. She doesn't go to the Appalachian town of Dungannon for rest and relaxation, however. She goes to help teenagers learn how to repair houses of some of the Commonwealth's poorest residents. Greenwood is director of Army Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance in MITRE's Command & Control Center (C2C) and has been leading Dungannon mission trips with her church for the past five years. "We may tear off a porch, build a porch, build ramps, fix doors, build walls, paint. It's really a handyman's list of to-dos," she says. Proposals for the repairs come from the Dungannon Development Commission, Inc. (DDC). The DDC started Project HELP (Housing Enterprise for Low-income People) for residents of Scott County—where Dungannon is located—who are at or below the poverty line and require home repairs. Enter Greenwood, a dozen chaperones, and more than 40 teenage volunteers from three Northern Virginia Episcopal churches. "When we show up, we get handed proposals—all in handwriting—and we get to work." Another MITRE employee, Susan Ficklin, has volunteered for the past seven years. The group spends the week in the volunteer center—an old sewing machine factory with no windows. "These kids give up a week of their summer," Greenwood explains. "And they work hard. We get up at 6:30 and we're on the jobs by 8 and not back until 4:30. In some ways, it's like summer camp for them, but it's summer camp with a purpose. The kids do the work; we are there to help and supervise." Experienced people set up circular saws and other equipment, but the teens do the hands-on work. "Everyone loves using the power tools—they're a big draw," she says with a laugh. Throughout the summer, different volunteer groups travel to Dungannon to make repairs. Since the Northern Virginia delegation comes the same week each summer, they are well known in town. "We can walk into Osborne's hardware store and the owners, Phil and Darrell, will greet us and help us find caulk, nails—whatever extra supplies we need." The DDC purchases the bulk of supplies; tools are largely provided by church volunteers who are in the construction business. Preparing the Next Generation Greenwood's 20-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son are Dungannon veterans. "My kids make the trip a priority," she says. "They plan for it each summer." The opportunity is open to high school students, several of whom return each year. Her daughter, a college sophomore, was an assistant chaperone last summer. Greenwood delights in seeing the difference the kids make. "It's a true win-win situation. The kids learn how to problem-solve and use tools, and the residents get badly needed repairs done." One Dungannon resident had leaks and holes in her kitchen wall. "Rats were coming into this woman's house," Greenwood says. The kids repaired the entire wall. Thrilled with the completed work, the woman told her, "If you guys didn't come, nothing would change. We don't have the money to pay anyone, and there is no one to hire if we did." "I talk with the kids when we return and get their perspectives," she says. "Listening to them restores your confidence in the next generation. The kids learn about what their peers do in a town with no economy and very few amenities. It's a huge eye-opener. I always ask them how many Starbucks or Blockbusters they saw down there." Greenwood's service has garnered attention outside of Dungannon as well. Last fall, she was named an individual winner of a Heroine in Technology Award by Women in Technology (WIT) for her exemplary community service. WIT is a nonprofit organization that offers women in the technology field a range of professional development and networking opportunities and also recognizes women as role models. She is modest about this honor. "The real heroes and heroines are the kids who go to Dungannon. I am delighted for this only to draw attention to what they do." Asked how she balances her MITRE work with family and volunteering, she says, "It just becomes part of your life. Really, it takes so little to make an enormous difference in someone's life." —by Karina H. Wright Related Information Page last updated: January 28, 2008 | Top of page |
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