GREENFIELD — Noah Paulin leaned in for a closer look at where his brushstrokes were placing the yellow paint.
The 8½-year-old sat on the black pavement in front of Greenfield-Central High School, applying a fresh coat to a no-parking curb. A few feet to his left, younger brother Matthew, 6½, moved his own brush back and forth.
The boys were among hundreds of volunteers from Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield who set out July 14 to lend helping hands in myriad ways across the community.
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During the church’s annual Serve Day, groups planted flowers, pulled weeds, washed windows, swept dust bunnies, painted, sorted and did other odd jobs that will help local organizations focus on their missions and not their to-do lists.
Bill Paulin, father of the painting Paulin brothers, said he and wife Stephanie Paulin look forward to this day each year.
“I just think as followers of Jesus we need to be in our community serving,” he said, and the event also helps “to teach my kids everything’s not about them.”
The Paulins were among more than 50 volunteers at Greenfield-Central. Another group of more than 50 served on the Eastern Hancock campus, where they were busy with painting fences, planting flowers, washing windows and doors, sweeping sidewalks and other tasks.
“It means so much to us when these selfless individuals come on Serve Day and contribute to the beautification of our school,” Dr. Vicki McGuire, Eastern Hancock superintendent, wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter. “These are hard-working people that want to help others, and they truly make a difference.”
Standing in the Hope House Thrift Store in Greenfield, Hope House employee Donna Keith was also appreciative. She said while Hope House residents have daily chores such as mopping the hallway or cleaning a bathroom at the homeless shelter, Serve Day volunteers are a big help with tasks such as cleaning behind the kitchen fridge or helping at the thrift store that helps support the shelter.
During the event those volunteers spritzed the glass display case, dust-mopped the floor, sorted and more.
“We don’t have the personnel to do that,” Keith said. “It’s just stuff that normally doesn’t get done, or done as often.”
Bobby Hill, who’ll be a sophomore at Greenfield-Central High School in a few weeks, was shaking out the dust mop over the trash bin outside. He said volunteers sign up for Serve Day but don’t know where they’ll be assigned. He was on a repeat assignment at Hope House after serving there last year, and that was fine with him.
“I like helping out in the community,” he said.
At another Serve Day site, Annie Wing said her children feel that same satisfaction. She said the event is not only a chance for her and husband Chris to serve, or model serving for their children, but for children themselves to serve.
Last year, their assignment involved delivering cookies to police and fire departments, and the experience stayed with the children.
“For the past year, they’ve talked about that,” Annie Wing said. The event shows them “they can do something for somebody else,” she added.
This year, Brennan Wing and Brooklyn Wing were decorating rocks for a flowerbed at Hope Center Indy, a facility just west of New Palestine that helps women exiting human trafficking.
Molly Hodson was at the flower bed, helping dig holes for daylilies and daisies. She said this was her third Serve Day.
“I love it,” she said. “I enjoy getting my hands dirty.”
The team around the flowerbed included Molly’s mother, Kelly Shiplett.
“We live in a country where blessings are kind of plentiful,” Shiplett said in between shovelfuls of dirt. “The Lord blesses us so we can bless everyone around us.”
