Early on July 30, two rented vans carrying 14 youths, two church youth group leaders and ten days worth of gear left the Malibu United Methodist Church parking lot and headed to Indian Valley in the northern Sierras for the group’s annual Sierra Service Project work trip.
MUMC has participated in SSP since 1995, driving as far as the Oregon-Idaho border. There they repair roofs, build wheelchair ramps and porches, and weatherize and paint the homes of indigent Native Americans.
Indian Valley, once boasting 11 lumber mills, now has none, bringing the city into a bout of mass unemployment, the MUMC states in a press release.
The Local Roundhouse Council invited the church to the Sierra Service Pr oject, and assigns six week sessions to homeowners who request assistance. Malibu Residents Hilary Jensen and Cassidy Pritchett are also on site at Indian Valley.
In addition to daily labor, the program includes education about the local culture and tradition and opportunities for spiritual growth. “It is so great to see these kids off on this adventure together,” said Kay Gabbard, director of Malibu Methodist Nursery School, where several of the youths first met.
The group raises funds for the trip by selling “stock” to supporters to cover the cost of the rental van, gas, insurance, meals on the road and incidentals, in addition to support from the 2008 Chili Cook Off.