SHARP Program in Clawson Seeks Volunteers to Help Seniors with Home Repairs and Maintenance
(Arden VanOver, April 5, 2023)
The pandemic put a halt on the work Clawson’s Senior Home Assistance Repair Program does for the community, so as residents welcome the group back into their homes for new repair requests, the group asks for new members to come and volunteer.
The goal of SHARP is to help seniors, ages 60 and above, and disabled residents maintain their homes and the land around them when the work becomes out of reach for them.
Clawson SHARP dates back to November 5, 2008, with the Troy branch of the program.
A few people in Clawson were looking for an opportunity for a volunteer project to bring to the city and heard about SHARP thinking that it would be a great addition to the community.
At the very first meeting, there were 10 members according to Clawson SHARP secretary and volunteer, Marty Hart.
Most volunteers for the program are also older members of the community, so when the pandemic came, many chose to stay home instead. COVID-19 has brought their number of volunteers down to four because many either don’t have the time, energy or comfortability to continue with the work SHARP provides.
Anyone can apply to be a volunteer. Once they do, whenever a job is available, the president of the group, currently Gina Boyd, will send an email to all of the volunteers to gauge interest and availability in that type of project.
Sometimes it can be quite a large job.
Hart said most of the requests that come in are for painting and yard work, but they will accept jobs like installing storm windows, replacing thermostats, cleaning gutters, washing windows, replacing smoke detectors and their batteries, repairing drywall and even more.
Not everyone who requests help from SHARP has been able to have recent help with maintaining and caring for their space, so sometimes the workload can be more than one person to handle. Thankfully for SHARP, Hart said often, more than one person will volunteer for the project. So, not only is it a way to better the community, but also a way to get in touch with other volunteers passionate about helping.
For those like Hart who have stayed with the group, the work is most rewarding for them.
“I feel very confident in my heart because I know I have helped someone in need,” she said. “I can’t even think of the right words to describe how good you feel. When you see the face of the client after you’re done with the job, and they’re just beaming because the work got done.”
After low numbers of requests during the pandemic, clients are starting to request help again.
Last year, Clawson SHARP received only four requests, and this year there have already been four requests with an assumption there will be more coming in as the year goes on.
With requests on the rise again, SHARP will need more members and hopes more people will consider this as an opportunity to give back to the community.
“There’s no other feeling in the world like helping someone in need when they can’t do it themselves,” Hart said.
SHARP is looking for volunteers of all ages, not exclusive to Clawson residents, to help make a difference in the lives of residents. Any interested volunteers can call Clawson Parks & Recreation to find out how to apply at (248) 589-0334.