SPRINGVALE — Digging four-foot deep holes into the ground is hard work and this group will need to dig several of them before they insert sauna tubes, mix up concrete and pour it in. Then, they’ll start on the rest of the project. By the end of this week, or sometime during the next, the wheelchair ramp for this Springvale home will be complete and ready for use.

The six young people in this work crew, along with an adult leader, are among a group of 116 teens and adults with Work Camp NE, a Christian-based organization that makes home repairs, for free. Their leaders made contact with the Sanford school system some time ago, and through that connection they were able to find folks who own their own homes, but whose income doesn’t rise to the cost of making repairs. Then, the adult staff from Work Camp NE met with homeowners to assess the projects, and with the city’s codes enforcement officer to make sure the projects to make sure the projects conformed to city codes. Then on Sunday, the campers and their leaders arrived, ready to get to work.

Work Camp NE is in Sanford for two weeks ”“ they’re staying at Sanford Junior High School, and have upwards of 40 projects on tap here and in some surrounding communities like Hollis, Shapleigh, Biddeford and Kennebunk. The first Sanford-based group finished up July 11, and new campers will be here working through July 18. Afterwards, different groups of campers will be off to make similar repairs to homes around East Providence, Rhode Island.

Director Ken Therrien said the young people in Sanford ”“ who are junior high school and high school age ”“ are painting and roofing, building wheelchair ramps, repairing siding and working on similar projects.

And the kids are having a ball, doing it.

“Its fun,” said Connor Bryson, a member of the team building the wheelchair ramp at the home of Roger and Patty Kidder in Springvale.

“And we’re serving God,” said Hannah Teague. “It’s a labor of love.”

The first order of business was to remove the concrete front doorstep into the Cape Cod-style home. The kids seemed to enjoy that part, one of them showing off a sledgehammer that succumbed to the force of the blows to remove the old steps.

Kevin Priest, the leader of this particular work crew, took vacation time from his job to pitch in. Two of his sons are at the camp, off on work crews completing other projects. His boys wanted him to come, and he’s having fun, he said.

Homeowner Roger Kidder said the ramp will be useful ”“ his elderly mother-in-law moved into the family home a year ago, and a ramp will make it easier for her to get inside and outside. Kidder, who worked for 20 years at the same company, lost his job when the company closed up. These days, he’s freelancing as a graphic artist, and is among the adjunct graphic arts faculty at York County Community College. Without Work Camp NE, a ramp would have been hard to come by, he said.

“They’re very industrious,” Kidder said as the young people took turns with a post hole digger Monday afternoon. “And its very heartening to see this sort of program.”

Therrien said the young people taking part in this particular work camp hail from 8-10  Protestant churches in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. In all, kids from about 30 churches take part. At the junior high school, Therrien and a helper preside over their stock of tools and supplies. One work crew calls in for extra extension cords, another needs two circular saws, and so on. Each crew had the adult leader like Priest in Springvale, and there are three others who go around from worksite to worksite, troubleshooting projects and lending their knowledge to the job, Therrien explained. After the work day is done, the students will return to the school, shower, have supper and take part in an evening church service on site.

The campers pay a registration fee to attend the work camp and the fee, about $300 to $325, pays for the campers meals, for the supplies needed to make the home repairs and for insurance.

Work Camp NE began in 1989, when a group of 17 students and adult sponsors traveled to Tennessee to make home repairs. After a couple of years, according to the organization’s website, they decided they could so similar work in the northeast and in 1995 began inviting churches to join. Work Camp NE incorporated as a non-profit in 2007.

Camper Emilie Landry, of Lee, New Hampshire, said she’s at camp this year because of three of her brothers, whom she said, attended last year ”“ even though they initially didn’t want to ”“ and had a blast.

“They came back completely inspired,” she said. This year, those three brothers, Emilie and a younger brother are all taking part in the camp.

Therrien, the director, said in addition to the four weeks of camp, there are several Work Camp NE weekends of service throughout the year and that may expand. As well, the camp spends a week completing projects with students of a small Christian school as part of the school’s curriculum.

Why do a work camp?

“The church is about going out and living your faith,” Therrien said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.