Senior citizens in Odessa, Washington, were in a good-news-bad-news situation.
The community’s Old Town Hall—once a dance hall, courthouse, and library—provided seniors a place to gather and connect with one another. But the century-old building hadn’t been renovated since the Bee Gees were in the Top 10, and the wear and tear was putting the seniors’ health and safety at risk.
That’s when 32 high school students decided to step in.
“Many of our great-grandparents and grandparents used this building when it was a dance hall,” one of the students reflected. “It is now our generation’s turn to make sure it continues to operate as a senior center and event center for the entire community.”
Renovating Old Town Hall was a sweet idea. But to call the place a “fixer-upper” would be overly optimistic, and the teens soon discovered that Project RRR: Replace, Refresh, Restore would require expertise and funds they didn’t have.
Fortunately for their community’s seniors, what the students lacked in know-how and resources they had in relationship-building and fundraising prowess. In no time, they’d cooked up a plan with the local Lions Club and the Odessa Historical Society to restore Old Town Hall to its original splendor.
From September through February, the high schoolers managed the project and volunteered 200+ hours to remove old plaster, damaged drywall, and rotting floorboards. They scraped popcorn ceilings, painstakingly removed wallpaper, and hauled everything to the dumpster. Meanwhile, professionals laid hardwood flooring and gave the bathrooms a Property Brothers-worthy makeover: new floors, vanities, toilets, and paint.
In March, the students wrapped up Project RRR with a 1920s-themed grand reopening for 100 people. One student reflected, “Because of this project, the senior citizens in my community feel safer and are excited to attend events held at the Old Town Hall.” Another teen shared, “The entire community…can now take pride in inviting guests to thai rejuvenated space.”
By all appearances, Project RRR was a wild success. But then: Disaster. A damaged water pipe caused the new hardwood floor to buckle, highlighting a new and pressing need to replace deteriorated water lines coming into the building.
Undaunted, the students tackled this new challenge with their trademark can-do spirit. One student remarked, “Nothing is worse than a burst pipe or water damage in our homes. Imagine how terrible that would be to a beautiful, historic building.” They raised an additional $7,430 to alleviate the building’s pressing plumbing needs.
In reflecting on their project, one student commented, “Odessa has a long history of bringing people together to make big changes happen…We just want to do our part to make a long-term difference in a community that has supported us.” Their advisor also supported them in learning an important lesson: “By uplifting others, they elevated themselves.”
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