FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The heat index along the Eastern Shore hit 108 degrees last week, but that didn’t stop volunteers taking part in a Catholic HEART Workcamp from pounding nails, laying sod, replacing siding, clearing weeds and trash, building a playground and many other outdoor and indoor tasks that would reduce the average person to a puddle of sweat.

The young HEART (Helping the Elderly Attain Repairs Today) volunteers, from cities and towns across the country, were still going strong on Thursday, Aug. 7, their last work day in the area before going home on Saturday.

They arrived Aug. 3, and spent what little free time they had attending Mass, taking part in other devotionals and skits, attending music performances staged just for them, going to the beach and visiting area tourist attractions.

“I’ve been working with this group for seven or eight years,” said Sister Julie Guillot of Eastern Shore Affordable Houses. “They're wonderful! They work hard.”

Most of the teens and young adults were spread out around St. Joseph’s Way, a Fairhope subdivision developed by Guillot, where a half-dozen donated houses were trucked in to become homes for low income families. There, they teamed up to tackle several projects that will make the community even more livable.

Among them is a playground that replaced an area in the middle of the neighborhood once overtaken by trash and weeds.

The focal point is a boat “floating” in a large sandbox — a yellow runabout that perhaps had towed water skiers long before being donated to Guillot’s organization. The kids who live there decorated it with their handprints, and some of the campers painted their names around the bow.

“Everybody can sit on their front porch and watch the children on the playground,” Guillot said.

Around 60 volunteers and several adult chaperones were working under Guillot’s watchful eye, while other teams tackled five home repair projects in Fairhope and Daphne. Another was at Sister Julie’s Resale Shop, sorting donated clothes and bundling them for distribution to needy Eastern Shore families.

Annemarie Wess of Orlando, Fla. could have easily gone to Walt Disney World to wind up her summer vacation, but chose instead to come to Baldwin County. The pretty 22-year old parishioner from St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Haven said for her, “The project means a sense of spiritual commitment and fulfillment.”

She worked alongside others from her church, bringing the new playground to life. Children from a nearby house came outside while they were there, and saw the sandbox and two basketball goals for the first time.

“They were excited, and really wanted to come out and play,” Wess said. “It makes you appreciate why you are here.”

Not only are the young people from HEART making a substantial investment in time and labor, they are also paying for the privilege of helping others. Each person who took part in this “Next Level” Camp, which was open to those entering 10th grade or above this fall, spent up to $325 plus travel expenses to come here.

Campers were stationed simultaneously in Kearny, N.J.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Other teams participated in separate projects over the previous eight weeks in 33 different locales.

“They have a passion to serve people,” said Dothan resident Chelsea Stender, camp manager. “They could be home watching TV or playing on YouTube.”

The Catholic HEART Workcamp organization was founded by Steve and Lisa Walker in 1993 as an extension of the St. Margaret Mary Youth Ministry. The idea of offering a Catholic workcamp was sparked by their participation in similar non-denominational efforts. Although lacking a Catholic spirituality and perspective, the Walkers felt those camps were a positive and life-changing experience.

According to the group’s mission statement, its purpose is to “share the love of Jesus and serve the neglected, brokenhearted and marginalized in any way needed,” and “revitalize communities and beautify homes for the elderly, disabled and those who cannot afford needed repairs.”

The volunteers were hosted by Saint Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope. They slept in church classrooms and meeting rooms, and showered there each day, using cold water in two outdoor shower areas built before they arrived.

Local merchants donated materials and labor to the project, including Nancy Fontenot of Garden Design Solutions in Fairhope, who provided sand, plants, heavy equipment services and other labor to the Saint Joseph’s Way project. Riebeling Farms in Foley donated sod, and Pat White of Southern TurfCare in Daphne donated organic fertilizer.

Stender said, “The way you show Christ’s love is to serve others. (HEART) keeps growing. God’s really blessing this ministry.”