By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Club Nova members, volunteers and community members gathered last week to celebrate the renovation of the clubhouse earlier this month.
Over one weekend, more than 80 volunteers spent 26 hours completing the renovations. They improved the clubhouse’s energy efficiency, repaired and painted three exterior porches, trimmed tree branches, installed flowerbeds and restored the wooden chairs and picnic tables used by clubhouse members.
The volunteers also installed a six-panel mural based on designs created by Club Nova members on the exterior wall of the Club Nova Thrift Shop.
“The bigger thing is that it’s a new day for Nova,†said Carl Tatum, project captain.
For organizations like Club Nova to succeed, he said, communities have to step up.
“Everyone in our community makes a difference, and nobody gets left behind,†Tatum said.
The project was led by the Legacy Center’s NC119 Leadership Team, who chose Club Nova as their Extreme Makeover Legacy Project to support people with mental illness.
The team created the project, organized the volunteer workforce and collected donations of funds and materials.
Club Nova is one of 400 clubhouses internationally that provide employment and community for adults living with mental illness.
