Retired Gracewood worker helps build school for villagers

Michael Stephens' community service has a global reach.

On April 1, Mr. Stephens returned from a monthlong stay in Morogoro, Tanzania, in Africa.

The trip, though enjoyable, wasn't for pleasure, Mr. Stephens said. He was there to do volunteer work.

During his first week, he taught 20 men from the town how to use and take care of tools he had purchased using donations and his own money. In the remaining three weeks of Mr. Stephens' stay, they used what they learned to start building the Uzima School.

By the time Mr. Stephens left, they had completed the school's foundation, built walls for four classrooms and the school's restrooms.

A roof was placed on the building shortly after he left, he said.

"It was an awesome experience. It really was," he said. "I had the opportunity to teach them something that I have a passion for -- I love working with my hands -- and they were able to build something they needed."

It was Mr. Stephens' second trip to the African village. Last year, he helped to build an orphanage close to where the Uzima School has been built.

"On the way home from that trip, God spoke to me and said I had go back," he said. "So, I went back, this time to help with the school."

Volunteering has been Mr. Stephens' full-time job since he retired in 2001 as an administrator with Gracewood State Hospital.

"Everyone is put on this Earth for a reason," he said. "My purpose is serving others."

Every Tuesday, he helps with the food pantry at Grace Fellowship on Sibley Road. He serves as chairman of Lots Ministry's board and is responsible for maintenance; is the treasurer of Friendship Center's board and also helps it with maintenance; and shares his faith through such organizations as The Walk to Emmaus, CSRA Tres Dias and Cleansing Stream.

He also has a recycling ministry. He fixes up unwanted items, including washing machines, tables and chairs, and donates them to families and organizations that need them.

The United Way of the CSRA recognized Mr. Stephens' commitment to others during a February ceremony, naming him the Alvin W. Vogtle Volunteer of the Year for 2008.

"This is my fun," he said of volunteering. "This is what I enjoy waking up and doing every day. By serving others, I can help make a lot of people happy and help them meet their needs.

''As long as God keeps me here, I will be serving others."

Reach Nikasha Dicks at (706) 823-3336 or nikasha.dicks@augustachronicle.com.