Greater Pleasant Green Laymen Organization volunteer to completely repair Abbeville home

Members of the Greater Pleasant Green Laymen Organization have taken on a mission to change the life of Catherine Whimbley by changing where she lives.
Whimbley, in her 40s, moved out of her house located on South Bailey Street because the living conditions in the house became bad. The house is a family owned home.
Over time, conditions of the home took a downturn for the worse, and Whimbley did not have the money and the physical means to repair the house.
The walls at the front corner of the house are separating, allowing air and anything else that walks, flies or crawls into the house.
The front room floor, bathroom and hall floors are rotten. Her leg fell through the floor. In the bathroom, the walls have mold and mildew buildup.
The kitchen is no better. The appliances worked when they wanted. Because of the poor living conditions and the fact that Whimbley was on oxygen to breathe, she had to move out of the house.
The laymen organization is familiar with her medical and living conditions because she is a member of their church. Normally the organization helps people with small problems like helping for medical expenses. The reconstruction of a home is the first time they tackle a project of this size and cost.
“We normally help people in the community,” said Scott Landry, who is the coordinator of the Greater Pleasant Green Laymen Organization. “We saw how bad things were for Ms. Whimbley, so we decided to help her get back into her house.”
This week a small group of men from the organization began the three-month project of repairing Whimbley’s home. They first hauled out everything rotten, old and smelly in the house. There was still food in the refrigerator that had no electricity for the last nine months.
Lester Levine Sr. and Henry Dixon did a lot of the hauling out of furniture and appliances in the house. On Thursday, they were ripping up the flooring when they noticed how rotten the wood is in the living room.
Dixon said Whimbley moved out because she was scared to walk in the house in fear of falling through the floors.
“I do not think she knew how bad it was under the floor covering, but she knew it was bad,” said Dixon.
The church organization is on a fixed budget of around $6,000 to purchase wood, flooring and appliances. Most of the floors in the house are going to be replaced.
“There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make this house livable again,” said Levine. “Anyone who wants to help physically or financially, we welcome it.”
The project is expected to take three months.
If anyone would like to help with labor, materials or financial donations to hardware stores or lumberyards for wood and appliances, they can contact Landry (412-9559) or Levine (207-5770).