August 25, 1997

Black Mountain Inmates Repair Home

Black Mountain - Inmates and staff from Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women are spending this week helping to repair the home of a 90-year old local resident who is confined to a wheelchair.

Ten inmate volunteers, Supt. Renae Brame and staff from the minimum security prison area working with community volunteers through August 29 to renovate the home of John Mayner at 236 Flat Creek Road.

The volunteers will repair the front and back porches and make them handicap-accessible.  Volunteers will also replace flooring throughout the house and enlarge the bathroom.

The project is a joint effort by Black Mountain Correctional Center for women, Prison Fellowship, Christmount Christian Assembly and Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries.

The community groups selected the home to be repaired and received donations of materials for the project.  meals for the volunteers will be prepared by churches in the Swannanoa Valley area.

During the week, inmates accompanied by staff will stay at Christmount Christian Assembly.

A volunteer banquet to celebrate completion of the project is scheduled for Friday, 6:00 p.m. at Christmount christian Assembly.  the banquet meal is prepared an provided by board members of the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries.

This is the seventh Black Mountain home repair community service project.  Black Mountain Correctional Center was the first prison to begin this type of project.  More than a dozen other prisons have similar projects.