Thornwell Volunteer Spotlight: Hartsville First Presbyterian Church
All this week, we are celebrating Thornwell’s amazing volunteers! In the past year, 273 volunteers gave more than 1250 hours to Thornwell, bringing dedication, enthusiasm, and love to all they do! From organizing our donations closet to building playgrounds, to supporting foster families and ensuring the success of our inaugural fall festival and corn maze, we believe that volunteers are the lifeblood of who we are.
Today, we are excited to feature Dick Porter and the Mission Team from Hartsville First Presbyterian Church. Members include Adults (male, female, all ages) and Youth (school age). The group is also called the A-Team. This incredible ministry partner has been volunteering at Thornwell since the early 2000s! We are so grateful for their amazing love, friendship, and generosity!
Tell us about your role and how long you’ve volunteered.
My name is Dick Porter and I joined our Mission Team in1997 when I retired. The team was doing mission work in West Virginia and in Mexico. We winterized homes in West Virginia for a number of years and then built homes for families in Mexico for 15 years.
What inspired you to volunteer at Thornwell?
In the early 2000s, our Christian Education Committee volunteered to teach Bible School at Thornwell every summer. One of the members came back and told the A-Team we needed to volunteer to help Thornwell. Due to drug violence in Mexico, we could no longer continue with this fantastic Mission. We visited Thornwell and fell in love with how we could help.
What is the best part about being part of the Thornwell team?
The best part of being part of the Thornwell team is working with Sam Spoon and his talented maintenance group. Sam has learned what the A-Team can handle and has matched us up with very challenging projects. It is amazing how talented the A-Team members are and how well they work as a team.
The very best part of our Thornwell 5-day mission is we bring our own Cook or Cooks. We eat like Royalty!!
Why should people volunteer with Thornwell?
The Mission of Thornwell is unbelievably fabulous! We thought we knew Thornwell, but we didn’t until we spent yearly mission trips there and met the staff and wonderful kid residents. It also gave us the opportunity to become closer to our own Church members.
Thornwell is so special to Hartsville First Presbyterian Church!
Looking for a way to get involved? We’d love to tell you more! Visit Get Involved – Thornwell – Building Tomorrow’s Families today to learn more!