25 Volunteers Give Idaho School a Complete Makeover

When 25 volunteers arrived at Sandpoint Junior Academy in June, they found a school bursting with potential but in desperate need of repairs. Over the next two weeks, they completely transformed the campus.

From June 6 through 18, volunteers with Maranatha Volunteers International teamed up with members of the Sandpoint Seventh-day Adventist Church and local neighbors to tackle a massive renovation project. The group completely gutted and remodeled the girls' bathroom, replaced old windows, removed and repaired damaged walls, and painted throughout the school.

The work addressed a long list of repairs that had been waiting for attention, giving students a refreshed and welcoming campus to return to this fall. Maranatha, a nonprofit founded in 1969, has mobilized nearly 70,000 volunteers over its history to build and renovate schools and churches around the world.

"It was great to have everyone working together, volunteers from across the country alongside church members and Sandpoint neighbors," said Jon Yarlott, project director for Maranatha Volunteers International. His team brought expertise and energy, but the local community brought heart.

The Ripple Effect

Local businesses stepped up in powerful ways. Prock's Paint Bucket provided deeply discounted paint and supplies that made the extensive painting project possible, showing how one business can multiply the impact of volunteer labor.

The partnership between national volunteers and local supporters created something bigger than a building renovation. When people from different backgrounds unite around a shared mission to invest in kids, they model the kind of community connection that students will carry forward.

Sandpoint Junior Academy serves students in grades 1 through 8 with strong academics, professional art and music instruction, and a popular ski program that takes advantage of North Idaho's natural beauty. The school welcomes students from all denominational backgrounds.

The renovated campus stands as proof that when communities decide to invest in their children's future, remarkable things happen in just two weeks.