From the desk of Service Tours Coordinator Collin Keenan
Summer is a season deep rooted in the spirit of vacation, warm weather, and sunny skies, but the Mission’s Housing Improvement Service Tours program might look a little bit different than your typical trip to the Big Apple or the Caribbean Islands. Since 2003, the Mission has brought volunteers to our Downeast Campus in Cherryfield from all over the United States to assist our community through housing improvement projects. These weeklong service trips have developed, grown, and changed in tandem with the community.
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Working with our community, we have continued to make changes to ensure they have homes that are safe, warm, and dry-year round. In the 2025 season, over 100 volunteers joined the Mission for weeklong service trips, completing 81 projects across multiple housing sites. One notable example comes from the Newtown, Connecticut Church Work Camp (NEWS), which spent a week working at a home in Addison.
The group replaced a large bay window, repaired a front door and replaced a back door, painted the entire home, patched roofing, installed new vinyl flooring in the kitchen, replaced the living room and bathroom flooring, installed sheetrock in the living room, kitchen ceiling, and hallway, built a new back staircase for the rear entrance, and cleaned moss and dirt from the exterior aluminum siding, among other improvements. These improvements are life changing for the homeowner, who shared, “Everything looks great. It’s nice to feel good about your house and to know your daughter can move around more freely. I appreciate all that they’ve done, and I hope they enjoyed the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I made for them. I wanted to do something special for all their great hard work.”
In addition to the housing work, the Mission had the NEWS group on the Sunbeam and visited Great Cranberry Island. The forty youth and adult volunteers split into groups to clean several of the island’s beaches. Afterward, they enjoyed ice cream and a short history lesson about the island with the Cranberry House staff. Another volunteer group, Sigma Kappa Sorority, participated in a similar island clean-up on Frenchboro. Engaging both youth and adults in a week of meaningful service across our Downeast and island communities was truly special to witness.
These groups represent just two of the many hardworking and enthusiastic volunteer groups we welcomed this year. Whether learning how to safely operate a table saw, enjoying a traditional Maine lobster bake, or building teamwork skills on the Downeast Campus’ Challenge Course, our Housing Improvement Service Tours volunteers found plenty of opportunities for fun. However, most of their time was dedicated to hands-on service that was enriching, challenging, and deeply rewarding.
I want to give thanks to all program participants and community members involved in the 2025 Housing Improvement Service Tours program for their time, vulnerability, and grace throughout the season. I would invite any interested groups to join us in our ongoing efforts to support the Downeast Maine community either in the upcoming 2026 Housing Improvement Service Tours program or in another capacity.