April 25, 2024

Piece by piece

SWCC’s building, carpentry trades program to hold freewill dinner for spring work trip

By AMY HANSEN

OST photo by AMY HANSEN Charlie Mundy, Southwestern Community College’s high school carpentry and building trades instructor for Osceola, left, is pictured with a group of his students at the program's 13th building trades house located at 1823 Primrose Lane. Pictured, from left, are Mundy, Zach Jones (Clarke), Ty Spidle (Central Decatur), Rayden Boswell (Central Decatur), Dylan Gibson (Central Decatur), and Jake Leeps (Clarke).

It’s important to lend your support to a worthy cause — any way you can.

Southwestern Community College’s (SWCC) high school carpentry and building trades is planning a ham dinner to help raise funds because every spring they take a week-long trip to provide aid to areas in need.

This spring, they will go to southern Texas to work with Habitat for Humanity to provide their skills with framing of houses.

“That’s what we’re raising money for, to get these guys down there so we can help out a family that needs a home,” said Charlie Mundy, SWCC’s high school carpentry and building trades instructor for Osceola.

Dinner time

The ham dinner starts 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the SWCC Osceola Center. It is a freewill offering for a meal of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, bread and a drink.

Mundy estimated this is the 13th house the building trades programs has built, and wanted to make sure to thank the partnership with Clarke County Development Corporation.

“I think it’s pretty rare that we have these classes,” he said. “You know, a lot of communities have lost their construction trades classes because of funding and stuff. So, we’re lucky to have this here with the cooperation between the college and the high schools.”

Mundy helps teach students from both Clarke and Central Decatur school districts. He said there are 14 students in the program.

“They’re juniors and seniors in high school, and any time they get a chance to go somewhere where their skills are needed and wanted, it gives them a chance to be leaders,” he said.

Life skills

It’s a huge deal for Mundy and his students to provide construction aid to communities and people in need. He has taken students across the country to various places, including Louisiana, Joplin, Mo., and Texas.

“You know, I think at the high-school age, people expect them to be ornery and do not necessarily great things,” Mundy said. “It’s pretty neat, for me, to see it come full circle with the skills they learn in here to go down to Texas and be able to help somebody out and have people look up to them as young men and be able to help a community somewhere that needs the help.”