A commitment to God and service is bringing groups of teens from around the country and Canada to Canonsburg from July 5 through July 11 as part of the Chartiers Creek Workcamp 2009. The nondenominational workcamp is co-sponsored by Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church.

The work camp will have youths from ages 12 to 20, but mostly high school students, working to repair homes of the elderly, those with a low income, the disabled and those in need, said work camp coordinator Gary Lucas.

Borough council has voted to waive all building and permit fees, at the request of Mr. Lucas.

Mr. Lucas has attended similar programs in different areas of the country, but he said this will be the first one in the Canonsburg area. He got the idea to organize one locally following the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Young people from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Kentucky, Louisiana and Ontario will work on home improvement projects, such as porch repair and construction, step repair, interior and exterior painting, weatherization, wheelchair ramp repair and construction, mobile home underpinning and mobile home roof coating.

They will work at seven to 10 sites each day. There are site coaches and one adult chaperone for every five youths.

Mr. Lucas said workers do receive some training, but many are experienced renovators.

"It's not a lot of first-timers, they've done this before," he said.

All repairs are free to homeowners. There were 48 homes that qualified for repairs. The homes are spread throughout Canonsburg, Houston, North Strabane, Chartiers, Cecil and Mt. Pleasant. Homes had to be within a 20-minute drive of Canon-McMillan High School to be considered.

Each person pays $429 plus travel expenses to attend the camp, which includes housing, meals and building supplies. They also are expected to bring paintbrushes, ladders and tools. Most of the groups conduct fundraisers to raise the money.

The high school will house the teens during their stay. They will sleep in sleeping bags or on air mattresses on classroom floors. They will wake up at 6:45 a.m. and "lights out" is 11 p.m.

In the evenings after dinner, they will be part of a program that includes singing, activities, discussion groups and religious services, followed by devotions. The residents they help are invited to the Friday night program, where they are celebrated, Mr. Lucas said.

The people whose homes are repaired are appreciative of the work and camp service, he said.

"They're wonderful," Mr. Lucas said. "Most of them just can't believe that these kids are coming to 'my house.' "