On Sept. 26, members from the Plant City community will come together to help complete home renovations for residents in need in an event called CareFest.
The residents who are benefiting from CareFest can’t do their own renovations because of medical reasons and other life circumstances. But many residents, including Mildred Hightower, haven’t had any volunteers adopt their home projects.
Hightower suffered a stroke in 2003. Since then, she hasn’t been able to drive, and she relies on others for daily tasks, such as grocery shopping.
“I’ve known her forever,” Timothy Knighten, pastor at St. Mary’s Community Church, said. “I basically take care of her business and help her out.”
Hightower has been attending St. Mary’s Community Church on Renfro Street since she was a teenager. Knighten, who has been the pastor at the church for the last 28 years, has been friends with Hightower for nearly twice as long. He can’t recall the last time that she missed a Sunday.
Hightower has lived in the same house on Warren Street behind Marshall Middle School for more than 30 years.
Heavy summer rain has caused the wood panels of Hightower’s home to rot, and the threshold that leads from the garage into the kitchen is also in need of repair.
She uses a silver cane to walk from the kitchen to her garage, where the lilies from her husband’s funeral nearly two years ago are still growing. Hightower has placed them in a pool of light that shines in from a garage window.
The Bucs fan and mother of three lost her husband, Willie Hightower, in a drowning accident in 2013. Until his death, he was her primary caretaker. With her children grown and her husband gone, Hightower’s home is behind on essential repairs.
Although 125 volunteers have already committed to CareFest, organizers are still looking for volunteers to help with projects that have not yet been adopted. Along with Hightower’s project, which needs volunteers, other projects across Plant City include pressure washing houses, replacing old carpet with linoleum, and repairing gutters and ceilings.
If Hightower’s project is not adopted, Knighten said his church will complete the work. Other St. Mary’s Community Church members are volunteering with projects outside of their congregation.
“She’s definitely well deserving of it,” Knighten said. “It’s minor, but for her it’s a big project. I think just a couple people would actually be able to do it.”
CareFest originated in 2002 and has spread through Tampa Bay and across the nation. This year, Plant City has 25 CareFest projects that need completion.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
CareFest Event
When: 7 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26
Where: 1914 Plant City High School Community Center, 605 N. Collins St.
Who: Other organizations that have volunteered for projects include the Improvement League of Plant City, Plant City Rotary Club and a number of Plant City churches. Anyone can volunteer or adopt a project, including high schoolers who are looking for community service hours.
Details: Organizers will sign up at 7 a.m. at the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center. At 1 p.m., volunteers can enjoy music and lunch at the center.
Website: CareFestUSA.com/projects/hillsborough-county/plant-city/
UPCOMING
CareFest Meeting
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23
Where: 1914 High School Community Center, 605 N. Collins St.