By Emily Younker

eyounker@joplinglobe.com

Ruth Chandler sat at her dining-room table Saturday afternoon and described the book she’s writing.

It tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a Victorian house but doesn’t initially have the money to buy it. Only “with a lot of faith and a lot of help” is she able to eventually purchase it, Chandler said.

It’s a somewhat familiar storyline to Chandler, for at that very moment a group of volunteers outside was putting the final coat of pale yellow paint on her house.

Chandler, who lives on a limited income, said she would not have been able to pay for housework — at least “not unless I can finally publish this book,” she said. “It (the volunteer work) is great. It’s something I cannot do. I’m so grateful.”

Chandler’s house received its facelift from Hearts and Hammers, a not-for-profit service organization that held its seventh work day Saturday. About 200 people volunteered to fix up 25 homes in Joplin, Webb City and Carthage for the elderly, physically disabled and single-parent families.

Scott Clayton, Hearts and Hammers board president, said work included painting, floor replacement, window repair and one bathroom remodel.

Richard Jones, of Carterville, spent Saturday morning repainting Chandler’s house, on the 1800 block of Grand Avenue, with other members of his church, Central City Christian Church.

“I think it’s (for) a good cause, and I think everyone should do this,” Jones said as he added a final coat of paint to the front porch. “I figure that one of these days I might be in this position, and I’d want someone helping me.”

On the other side of the house, 9-year-old Alyssa Talley, with streaks of paint on her arm and a drop on her nose, was using a roller to paint the back wall.

She had spent the morning scraping away paint and then repainting, the latter being by far the better job, she said. She couldn’t decide which she enjoyed more: “Either helping her (Chandler) paint her house or painting.”

Missouri Southern State University student Molly French also volunteered her morning to paint Chandler’s house. She said Hearts and Hammers is a good way for people who perhaps don’t have construction or home-building skills to help their neighbors.

“I think it’s a great idea because there are a lot of people who want to help but don’t really know how,” French said. “It makes you feel good to help other people, and it’s a way to show God’s love to other people.”

At a house on the 3300 block of Connecticut Avenue, volunteers also focused primarily on repainting the exterior, said John Clayton, site supervisor and Scott Clayton’s father.