8 Days of Hope: Volunteers Plan December Home-Repair Ministry on Gulf Coast

by Randall Murphree
October 20, 2005

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(AgapePress) - Five hundred contractors, builders, remodelers, painters and volunteer assistants will descend on Gulfport, Mississippi, December 10-18 for "8 Days of Hope." The 500 volunteers will repair homes of Hurricane Katrina victims in a project coordinated by Steve Tybor, Jr., of Buffalo, New York, and his son, Steve III of Tupelo, Mississippi.

In early September, the younger Steve sat in his Tupelo home numbed by stark images of flattened homes and flooded streets scrolling across his television screen. He wept with hopeless victims as they surveyed the unprecedented damage Hurricane Katrina had brought to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Steve hasn't lived in Tupelo all that long. He's still a fanatic about the Buffalo Bills. Still talks like a Yankee. But since his work brought his family south six years ago, they have settled comfortably into a laid-back southern lifestyle.

"This is my state, now," he declared. "With my contract with my employer, we could move anywhere we want in the country. But we love it here. It broke my heart, seeing all the damage on the Coast. I wanted to go down there and physically make a difference. I wanted to go down and encourage people. I wanted to smile, to love on them."

Father telephoned son, and they began to brainstorm about what they could do to help Katrina victims. Son Steve is VP of sales for Jancor, Inc., which owns four building material manufacturers, two based in Mississippi and two in the Northeast. Dad Steve is sales manager for Niagara Aluminum, a building materials distributor in Buffalo.

It was only natural that their thoughts quickly ran toward hands-on building projects. They soon had the preliminary plan for 8 Days of Hope. As they prayed about direction and details, a practical plan began to emerge. Desiring to go to a smaller city that had not received much national attention, they chose Gulfport, Miss., as beneficiary of the project.

"The goal is to bring hope," said Steve. "We already have churches and some corporations that have decided to come alongside us, donating thousands of dollars. We want to raise a quarter of a million dollars, sign up 500 volunteers and have tons of building materials donated to this area."

A letter and articles at the project's website give more information on how to make tax-deductible gifts to the project. "Gifts for 8 Days of Hope can be sent to New Creation Ministries and designated for this project," said Steve. His fellow church member Frank Scott heads New Creation Ministries, a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The two men attend First Evangelical Church in Tupelo.

Poorest of the Poor
The Tybors hope to serve the poorest of the poor, those who had no insurance or inadequate insurance. They won't build homes, but will repair, remodel, paint, and replace water-damaged drywall or flooring for families where government or private agencies have not yet gotten around to helping them. A core group of project planners will visit Gulfport churches, government agencies and others who will help identify families to receive the benefits of 8 Days of Hope.

Steve believes many home products manufacturers will join the effort. "It's a perfect tax write-off for companies with discontinued products sitting in their warehouses, and it's great exposure for them as they give to the community. It's a win-win situation."

Adding another dimension to the project is the trailer load of new toys shipped from a Buffalo radio station. The toys are sitting in a Tupelo warehouse, waiting for the Christmas season. "We're going to ask women's ministries, Scout troops and churches to wrap these toys," Steve said. "The last day in Gulfport, we're going to put up Christmas trees in the homes we've worked on, put toys under the trees and leave Bibles."

There are still a lot of details to cover, chief among them to secure donated food and lodging for the army of volunteers, but Steve is confident God will provide those things.

"We're trying to get the word out now," he said. "We're encouraging people to give up a week of their lives. Or they can come for one day. We have about 100 volunteers already committed." Already on board are two bus loads of Amish workers from Ohio.

American Family Association president Tim Wildmon commends the project. "The devastation on the Gulf Coast has impacted our whole nation in many ways," said Wildmon. "There are still people whose lives have been uprooted indefinitely. We urge people to give, to volunteer and to pray for 8 Days of Hope."

The Tybors look at how the project has taken off so far and say, "It could only be God."