Paint Students Assist Needy Families

The Montana Department of Commerce and the Montana Board of Housing (MBOH) recently spearheaded a construction project to provide affordable, energy efficient homes for low income families in Montana. The MBOH raised donations for the construction materials and enlisted volunteers to put the man hours in needed to complete the project. Much of the volunteer labor was supplied by the Building & Construction Trades Program at Montana Job Corps Center in Anaconda, Montana.

The houses were designed and built to have two bedrooms, one bath and all of the other standard living features. IUPAT Job Corps Instructor Calvin Mertes and his students completed all of the cosmetic finishing work – interior and exterior. The construction of the houses was conducted on-site at the Job Corps Center and then homes were transported by truck to the families in Great Falls.

The students had the honor of participating with the families in a public ceremony for the unveiling of the new homes. The event was well attended by state dignitaries and congressional representatives, all of whom praised MBOH and the students’ hard work. Instructor Mertes reported that not only did his students have an opportunity to practice their newly learned skills in a real life setting, they also discovered the satisfaction of helping someone else in need - a valuable lesson for anyone to learn.