CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina college is empowering construction students to help strengthen the communities they serve. 

What You Need To Know

  •  A North Carolina community college is empowering students to give back to their communities 

  •  Students are using their skills to give back to neighbors in need of help 

  •  One student hopes their actions motivate others to give back 

Dennis Baucom is program lead for South Piedmont Community College’s Construction Management Technology program.

Baucom’s background is in construction, and his lessons are preparing students for fruitful careers.

“It means a lot to me to be able to teach these skills to these students,” Baucom said.

But his students are also using what they learn in the classroom to give back to others.

SPCC recently completed renovations on a Union County home. It’s now supporting children during a time of crisis.

It's a moment that was years in the making.

The house was donated to Shining Light Baptist Church in 2005.

Years later, the church was entrusted with The Shepherd’s Place Children’s Home and Academy, a nonprofit supporting school-age children in crisis and in need of care.

“That’s when we started to get some clarity about what God wanted us to do. The home would be used for the Shepherd’s Place ministry,” Shining Light Baptist Church Pastor Tim Cruse said in a press release.

But some challenges persisted with getting the home up and running, which resulted in the structure needing critical renovations.

“The City of Monroe was actually considering demolishing the house,” Baucom said. “They called me and asked if there was anything we could do to save it."

South Piedmont students stepped in to transform the home and make it usable again.  

"We been working on it for a couple of years,” said SPCC student James Thurston. “It was in a complete disaster.”

“Seeing that transform into something so rewarding and seeing a family being able to use it, there’s nothing that can beat that,” Thurston said.

Some of the house repairs included replacing windows and removal of the existing roof.

Baucom says renovating the home spotlights how people can use their skills to help neighbors in need. It's something Baucom and his students take great pride in. 

"I’ve always enjoyed being able to ride around the community and see things [where] I’ve made a change,” Baucom said.

“It’s good to give back, even if you’re not expecting anything in return,” Thurston said.

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