ELLENDALE, Del.-It's a house located on Candy Lane in Ellendale, but it's not attracting teens for the reasons you might think--Instead, it's giving back, and serving others.
Jerry Guyer is a disabled man who's been living in the same house for the past thirty years. Over time, he's found it difficult to keep his house up. After reaching out to the Catholic Heart Workcamp, a handful of teenagers volunteered from across the region, committing their time and energy to restoring Guyer's home.
"It's a special blessing to me to have this done because with me being disabled and handicapped, I can't do the work," he said.
But more than the restoration to his house, Guyer appreciates the time he gets to spend with each volunteer. He says over the course of their work, he engages in exciting conversation, and learning new things about each teen.
Haleigh Merriman, a volunteer, says she's grateful for the time spent with Guyer, as well as other teens. She says, the experience is an unforgettable one.
"It makes me feel awesome. And just seeing their reaction, the residents or whoever we're helping" is a good thing, she continued. "The connections we make with them, I didn't know any of these people that I'm with before this, and now we're friends so, that's pretty cool."
Patrick Cozens says his parents instilled the value of serving others at a young age, and also agrees that the experience was an unforgettable one.
Jerry Guyer, another volunteer says he'd like to see volunteering happen on a more consistent and larger scale.
"I just wish that everybody could do this. If everyone just helped one person, pretty soon there wouldn't be anyone to help."
The organization currently has over 13,000 participants serving in different parts of the country.