Members of the Churchland Rotary Club partnered with The Golden Fold, a local mentorship group sponsored by the Alpha Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Inc., to restore the decks at the Maryview Nursing Care Center located off Bridge Road in Suffolk on Aug. 4.

Maryview Director of Facilities Marcus Jenkins had noticed the decks had become weathered over the past couple years and, due to their condition, the Maryview residents and their families had gradually stopped using them. Jenkins expressed the need to clean and refurbish the decks to Richard Green of The Golden Fold, who in turn expressed this community need to the members of the Churchland Rotary Club. The Rotary Club then sprang into action with the idea to partner with The Golden Fold on this community service project.

“The decks were a great place for our residents and families to use when they visited and went outside of the facility,” Jenkins said. “Now, thanks to the Rotary volunteers and the young men of the Golden Fold, it will be a great outdoor destination again.”

Members of the Churchland Rotary stepped in and donated time, money, materials and professional expertise. The Rotary volunteers worked side by side with the young men of The Golden Fold, removing and then replacing worn wooden planks, clearing debris, sanding benches and, finally, staining and painting the decks. The objective of this joint community service project was to restore the decks to a safe and usable condition so that they could be immediately enjoyed by the Maryview residents and their families.

The volunteers’ work took more than seven hours. The project was completed as scheduled and the members of the Golden Fold learned a lot from the Rotary volunteers. Golden Fold members Marcus Green and Adam Owens, when asked to summarize their experience, said, “It was tiring but worth our best efforts to give something back to the community.”