'Christmas In Action' Gears Up for Another Year

Christmas In Action is an annual one-day charitable home repair service that started its Dexter chapter in 1994. This year's service day is April 27.

"We work for elderly, low-income, or handicapped homeowners in the Dexter community," said Darrell Featheringill, chairperson of Christmas In Action in Dexter.

Volunteers, both skilled and unskilled, work on 15 to 20 projects in one day, he said. Volunteers don’t need to be carpenters or electricians by trade, he said, and many of the projects include yard work and basic home maintenance like painting.

"Volunteers must be at least 14 years old. If they’re under 18, they have to have a parental consent form," Featheringill said.

Christmas In Action organizers are also accepting project requests.

"We get requests from homeowners themselves or from friends, neighbors, or relatives," he said. "They contact us and let us know they know somebody in need."

Volunteers report directly to the home where they will be working on the service day. Volunteers can bring their own tools, but the organization will provide all necessary equipment. Featheringill asks all interested in volunteering to visit the Knights of Columbus Hall in Dexter from 7 to 8 p.m. April 23 for location assignments.

All organizers are also volunteers and organize the service day in their spare time, he said.

"We receive no federal, state, or local [government] funds," he said. "So the funds we get are very important to us, and they come in from the [Dexter] Lions Club as well as individuals and businesses around town."

Busch’s Market, Classic Pizza and Hackney Ace Hardware have been strong supporters in the past years, he said.

For more information, call Darrell Featheringill at (734) 475-9697 or Russ Mynning at (734) 424-9887, or email rtdexter@msn.com.