Boston students redo house for elderly Morrow woman

Matthew Hylton spent his spring break in Clayton County doing something he rarely does at home: cleaning bathrooms.

The 21-year-old — who lives with six other men — scrubbed sinks, tile floors and a bathtub inside a stranger’s home. Hylton and 16 of his classmates from Boston College are spending the week cleaning, repairing and remodeling the homes of two elderly and disabled Morrow residents.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Boston College students Matthew Hylton, 21, (left) and Courtney Allession, 19, share a laugh while cleaning a bathroom in the home of Yvonne Martin, 62, who is diabetic and disabled.

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“I don’t know if my mom would believe me that I’m actually cleaning bathrooms,” said Hylton, a senior from Seattle. “But I’m getting out of my comfort zone and personal bubble.”

For Yvonne Martin, an overgrown yard, cluttered kitchen and deteriorating porch weren’t necessarily her comfort zone, but it was all she could afford.

The 62-year-old woman walks with a cane, has diabetes and is on disability. She can barely afford to pay her medical bills, including her son’s chemotherapy, she said.

Cutting the grass and painting the halls were the furthest thing from her mind until this week, she said.

“I don’t have the money or the help,” said Martin, who is staying at the Red Roof Inn while the students repair her home. “I don’t have the words to express my thanks. I was speechless when I found out they wanted to help me.”

The students finished cleaning the house 15 minutes before Martin arrived Wednesday afternoon.

“This is unbelievable,” Martin said as she walked through the house. “It was a cluttered mess.”

She hugged each one of the students and thanked them.

“I do not have any natural grandchildren. Now I’ve got 17 brand-new grandchildren,” she said through tears. “There’s not enough money in the world to buy what you have done for me.”

Senior Meghan Smith, 21, spent the past three days mopping the kitchen floor, replacing doors and scrubbing dishes.

“I was totally overwhelmed when I first walked in,” she said. “But by the end I was crying. It was definitely worth it.”

More than 600 Boston College students were deployed through Volunteers for Communities, a nonprofit which helps low-income rural areas in the South.

Morrow Code Enforcement Officer Marti Tracy selected Martin to receive a free home makeover from the students after the city applied for help from the nonprofit organization.

“She used to be able to care for her yard, but her health deteriorated,” Tracy said. “There’s a difference between can’t and won’t. Ms. Martin wants to, but she can’t.”

The students spent Monday and Tuesday filling two Dumpsters of clutter from Martin’s Stratford Arms Circle home. They also refinished her cabinets, replaced light fixtures and the refrigerator, painted and installed smoke detectors.

The students, who are sleeping on the floor at the Morrow City Hall, will spend the rest of the week repairing another Morrow home and working in a soup kitchen before returning to Boston.

Erika Boltz, 21, of Illinois, said she has spent all of her spring breaks volunteering instead of “drinking and partying” like other students.

“This is a much more meaningful, real experience,” the junior said. “This is stuff you’ll remember the next day.”