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By Jeff Keeling
Johnson City Press
More than a dozen visitors warmed Clarence Bailey’s heart Monday, but it’s the house-warming tasks the Milligan College students completed that should stick with the Virginia Street resident.
“I love company, because I’m here by myself,” the widower said as the student volunteers caulked windows and otherwise weatherized the small home where Bailey has lived since 1955. “It’s a treat.”
Working under the guidance of Appalachia Service Project, the 20 volunteers — most of them members of Milligan’s tennis squads — were among a handful of groups the college sent out to engage in “servant leadership” on the holiday honoring the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. ASP’s Amanda Gastreich was happy to have them, and said volunteer labor is essential to ASP’s accomplishments.
“The past couple years there’s kind of been a big effort to make Martin Luther King Day a day of service and not just a day off,” Gastreich said.
“One thing we’re really happy to do is provide that opportunity to be serving our community and our neighbors in ways that we don’t usually do. That’s one of the great things about bringing the students out here and giving them a chance to do that.”
The funding to improve Bailey’s home comes from federal Community Development Block Grant money and is administered by the City of Johnson City’s Community Development department.
As the students began tackling their project, Bailey showed how he places corrugated cardboard over his draftiest windows when it’s cold, and pointed out a blanket hanging from a doorway meant to retain heat. The 80-year-old hilltop residence is heated with an oil stove and four electric wall units.
“That’s one of ‘em,” Bailey said, pointing to the kitchen heater. “I’ve got one in yonder (living room), I’ve got one in that bedroom and one in my bedroom — mine and the cats’ bedroom (“Honeybunch” recently became Bailey’s third feline housemate).”
Senior Bryan Upshaw, getting his first experience caulking windows, said Monday’s mission was a bit different than past MLK holiday service projects he’s done at Milligan.
“Usually it was just like an after school program where we would just hang out with kids, but Janie (fellow tennis player Janie Mullins) hooked us up to work here all day, so hopefully we’ll get a lot done,” Upshaw said.
“It’s neat being able to see projects getting done, and hopefully it will keep the heat in.”
Beth Anderson, who directs Milligan’s Institute for Servant Leadership, said Mullins is a member of the college’s “LINC” program, which stands for Linking Individuals to the Needs of the Community. Member students have taken a deep interest in community service and learn where they and their classmates can do the most good in volunteer projects around the area.
Upshaw said the visit to the poorly insulated Tree Streets home was proving an eye-opener for him.
“When the power went out with the big snow I assumed there were some struggling people, but I didn’t think about how throughout the entire winter there’s people who are continuously struggling just trying to stay warm.”
ASP’s Annelise Hammond said many people might be surprised at the stories of substandard dwellings right in Johnson City.
“There are people who don’t have indoor heat, or are having major trouble with their plumbing or don’t have windows or interior doors,” Hammond said. “We also have lots of folks needing safe exits … and ways to get around their house safely.”
Hammond said people would be surprised, too, at how much can be remedied in a day when adequate volunteer labor is available.
“We’re a community of people, and we need to stand together and fix the issues within (this community).”
Upshaw called Milligan’s effort to link the King holiday with service “a great thing.
“We can learn and talk all day about becoming servant leaders, but put a caulk gun in your hand and go out and work and I think you learn a lot more and everything becomes real.”