After having installed 25,000 square feet of wood flooring for an orphanage in China over the past several years, Real Wood Floors (West Plains, Mo.) CEO Sam Cobb is asking for help with the company's most ambitious install donation yet-27,000 square feet in one week.
Cobb is seeking volunteers to make the trip with him to Tianjin, China, in early September for 10 days to install a floor in one of Shepherd's Field Children's Village's last building projects. The orphanage is constructing a dorm-like building to house orphans who, after they turn 14, have not found a loving family to adopt them.
When an orphan in China turns 14, they "age-out" of the system and can no longer seek to be adopted. Shepherd's Field's new dormitory would provide a developmental learning community to orphans who have aged-out. Without this new facility, the orphans would typically be institutionalized for the rest of their lives.
"We love Shepherd's Field's desire to tackle this problem head on and we're on board to get it accomplished," Cobb said in an email.
With their own dorm-style apartment, he said, the teenagers will be encouraged to learn how to cook, clean, wash clothes and begin to manage caring for themselves. The new facility will also house vocational training centers to teach the children commercially viable skills to help their pursuit of gainful employment as adults.
Real Wood Floors has committed to donating all the flooring and installation related materials. Cobb said he is looking for 12-15 individuals to donate travel and labor to complete the task. If you're interested in joining the team, contact Sam Cobb at [email protected].
