More than 200 volunteers from across the United States and Canada will arrive in Selma June 8 on a mission to provide help to those who need it the most.

The group of teen-agers and adults will spend next week repairing the homes of elderly, disabled and low-income families in the Selma Ward 8 district.

These volunteers, composed mainly of church youth-groups, are taking part in a program known as the Deep South Workcamp.

The workcamp &045;&045; sponsored locally by the Jonathan Daniels Community Development Corporation, City of Selma Weed and Seed and Selma High School &045;&045; is giving the volunteers an opportunity to use almost 6,400 hours of their free labor to repair 30 homes in the district.

Kendrick also pointed out the volunteers will be purchasing their supplies from local merchants, which could bring in as much as $40,000 for the community.

With these supplies, the volunteers will be doing limited roofing, constructing wheelchair ramps, painting inside and outside, and weatherizing homes.

The volunteers will not exactly be staying in the lap of luxury. Their nights will be spent in sleeping bags on the gym floor of Selma High School.

However, the JDCDC and other sponsors have planned plenty of fun activities for their special guests. The volunteers will spend afternoons at Camp Grist and hold cookouts at local parks.

Kendrick also said Selma has been approved to host a larger workcamp next year, with even more volunteers to do an extensive clean-up effort.

Kendrick said the set-up directors have already arrived in Selma to prepare for next week.

The official start of the housing repairs will begin June 9 after a welcoming pep rally in the Selma High gym.