Home Local News Baptists on Mission making headway on Samaritan Colony’s women’s center

Baptists on Mission making headway on Samaritan Colony’s women’s center

Dustin Howard, left, and Johnny Patrick frame up an interior wall for Samaritan Colony's future women's treatment facility on Aug. 11. Photos by William R. Toler - Richmond Observer

ROCKINGHAM — The walls of the future women’s facility for Samaritan Colony have been steadily going up in the mid-summer heat over the past two weeks.

Volunteers from Baptists On Mission have been framing the facility since July 31, according to Site Coordinator Dennis Holloway.

The church-affiliated organization — which typically provides disaster relief and has been known to build wheelchair ramps — is serving as a subcontractor under general contractor Southern Builders on the project.

Holloway said each day has seen around 12-25 volunteers, including several local workers, under the supervision of Crew Chief Joe Walls.

Baptists on Mission will be sending additional crews to work on the project, but Holloway said some have been sent to assist in Vermont following extensive flooding last month. Natural disasters take priority over other projects, he added.

Bill Howard works on the future women’s treatment facility.

The organization will finish framing, then put up OSB on the outside and sheetrock on the outside, according to Holloway. Other subcontractors associated with Baptists on Mission will also be donating their labor.

He added that a paid crew will put up the siding and install shingles.

Baptists on Mission is expecting its portion of the work to take four to eight months, depending on weather and if there are any disasters to respond to.

Construction is expected to take about a year, Holloway said.

Ground was broken at the site in January of 2022. Click here to read more.

Samaritan Colony has been helping men cope with addiction for more than four decades and, in 2018, announced plans for the SECU Women’s Recovery Center — nearly a decade after expanding its campus several miles north of Rockingham to 25 acres.

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The State Employees Credit Union has helped fund the project with a $40,000 grant in 2019 and a $1 million grant the following year.

Other funding sources for the estimated $3.4 million project include: $150,000 charitable grant from the Leon Levine Foundation; $5,000 from Motiva (with help securing the grant from Quality Gas and Oil); and a $15,000 contribution from the city of Rockingham’s share of funds from the American Rescue Plan.

Volunteers from Baptists on Mission place an interior wall.

Financial supporters also include: Sandhills Center LME/MCO, The Cannon Foundation, The Richmond County Community Foundation, The Cole Foundation, The James R. & Bronnie L. Braswell Trust, The Baxter Foundation, the state of North Carolina, Griffin Automotive Group and other private donors.

The women’s facility is located just north of the men’s campus off of Guardian Way, the service road that runs parallel with U.S. 220.

Holloway said local churches, including King’s Gate and Cobb Memorial Baptist have furnished food for work crews.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for construction, or furnish meals for the work crews is encouraged to contact Holloway at 910-995-1676.



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Managing Editor William R. Toler is an award-winning writer and photographer with experience in print, television and online media.