CALCUTTA - A local Bible college and church received some helping hands to assist in renovating the outside of a building on Calcutta-Smith Ferry Road this week.

Those helping hands came from 10 teen campers and several supervisors from the Elkhorn Valley Christian Service Camp who volunteered their time and services to help install vinyl siding on the Northeast Ohio Bible College.

According to faculty member Dennis Arnold, the church received some sponsors who helped to purchase the materials, and members of the mission camp program took it upon themselves to assist with the manpower to get a large portion of the siding installation finished in a week's time.

For Arnold, the work through rain or shine was just about helping a neighbor in need.

"Something good is being done in the area," he said, taking a step back from the work. He and the campers had to remove some of the old siding that was weather damaged before placing the vinyl siding, and the hope, according to Arnold, is to reduce the number of times the outside needs to be repaired or repainted.

This isn't the first time Arnold and the teen crew have helped the East Liverpool area.

Just about two years ago, the Elkhorn Valley Christian Camp helped the Heartbeat of Columbiana County with its building. Heartbeat Director Marsha J. VonLudmann, appreciative of their efforts before and now, provided the group with lunch during their 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. day.

"The kids are so wonderful, and they're sacrificing a week of their time," VonLudmann said. "They're actually paying for the privilege for coming out and doing it."

Last year, the co-ed teen team helped renovate the Bergholz Church of Christ.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, the gang was finishing the day, having put siding on two ends of the large structure and had the front more than three-fourths of the way completed. The teens were making last-minute finishing touches, storing the tools and ensuring all the odds and ends were picked up as one teen was taking photos and documenting the process.

Their hard work is rewarded, in part, from a prepared dinner back at the camp in Bergholz.

Another teen, Courtney Feezle, was finishing up at the building and was assisting her fellow co-workers by passing out water bottles to thirsty members of the camp. Feezle has been involved in the camp since kindergarten and was promoted from camper to faculty member recently.

"My parents first got me involved and I just stayed," the 18-year old said, adding she enjoys all the work that she and her friends do in the camp. "I plan on being around."

dgrimes@reviewonline.com