Ventnor Community Church nears fundraising goal
Oct, 21-2009 3:28 pm
By SHAUN SMITH
Staff Writer
VENTNOR – In January, the Ventnor Community Church asked residents of Downbeach to lend a hand and help restore the building that has stood on the corner of Ventnor and Victoria avenues for more than 85 years.
At the time, the church needed to raise upwards of $62,000 to repair cracks in the mortar of the tower that allowed moisture to seep into the sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall below. There was also the resulting water damage to repair.
In all, the repairs were estimated at $82,110, and the church had only $20,000 in its building fund from two years of soup sales and rummage sales.
According to church Treasurer Beverley Gill, their prayers were answered.
She said Mike Marino of DaVinci Homes in Ventnor contacted the church and said he could do the job for $51,550.
Gill said he has repaired the flat roof, recalked the stained glass windows, and the inside of the sanctuary has been replastered and repainted. The next project is renovating the church doors.
“He has also helped us to reinstall the flags that are now flying from our building. Mr. Marino has admitted that he has fallen in love with our building, and it is now a labor of love for him,” Gill said via email.
She said the church’s fundraisers included a clothing drive, a Shrove Tuesday roast pork dinner, a ham and cabbage dinner for St. Patrick’s Day, an Italian Night dinner, and a plant and rummage sale.
“We have also received generous amounts of donations from our members, the citizens of Ventnor, Margate and Longport and also from the business community including Mento’s Ice Cream from across the street from the church,” she said Gill. “We have raised over $48,098, but we now need to raise about $5,000 to complete the renovations since a few unexpected expenses have arisen.”
She said they are fixing up the Fellowship Hall in the church basement, for which they received draperies donated by Borgata Hotel & Casino.
Church congregants have also done their part to pay it forward. They recently awarded the Roy Todd Memorial Scholarship to John Gigliotti, 19, who saved a man’s life this summer by running into a burning building in Ventnor Heights. Gill said the church awarded him $500 toward books in honor of Todd, a Ventnor schoolteacher who lived on the street where the rescue took place. Todd was a member of the church, coached Little League coach and was active in the Ventnor-Margate Lions Club, she said.
“He was a great community leader and a very nice man and mentor. We felt the scholarship rewarded John's exceptional courage and good character.”
Gill is hopeful the church can raise the money for the repairs.
“We have had a run of bad luck with all the rain, and the great firemen of Ventnor came twice and pumped out our basement that had flooded with water,” she said.
Gill said plumber Bernie Fox has been working overtime on various projects at the church, going “above and beyond the call of duty.”
“So things are going well for us, and our beautiful church will once again stand boldly on the corners of Ventnor and Victoria avenues,” she said.
The church will be holding a Fall Harvest Sale 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 of gently used items, crafts, baked goods, soup and gift baskets. A $5 lunch will be available beginning at 11 a.m.; dinner is $8 and will be served 4 to 7 p.m. or until supplies run out. Call (609) 822-5937.
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