Date set for prison renovation weekend
After winning a nationwide voting contest to land a $50,000 prize, Haywood Pathways Center is looking for volunteers to pitch in on a three-day work project Sept. 25-27 to make its prison renovation project a reality. TV personality Ty Pennington will be there Sept. 25, lending his enthusiasm and expertise as part of Haywood Pathways’ contest winnings.
“You are doing incredible things in your community, and we’re so honored to be a part of it,” Pennington said in a video. “We can’t wait to see how this impacts your community for years to come.”
It will cost about $300,000 to turn the defunct state prison in Hazelwood into a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and halfway house, so the contest winnings take care of a good chunk of that. Last week, a gala organized by Haywood Helps raised tens of thousands more towards the cause — the exact numbers are still being crunched.
Nick Honerkamp, director of the homeless shelter, expects that the work weekend will draw more than 1,000 people and “all kinds of media.”
“It will be wild,” Honerkamp said.
The more hands that help, the better chance Haywood Pathways will have of meeting its Nov. 1 opening goal.
To volunteer, sign up at www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org/volunteer.
