The beneficiary was a day care center, where Lander students painted classrooms, hallways and doors; sorted clothes, toys and other items donated by the community; and satisfied a safety requirement by spreading mulch across a playground the length of a football field.
The day care, run out of Lebanon's Northside Baptist Church, serves over 200 children, allowing parents to hold on to jobs in an area with a high unemployment rate.
The day care relies heavily on volunteer work to keep it going, according to BCM group leader Scott Smith, who added, "that's how they keep their expenses low."
The importance of the day care to the town was clear, said Smith. Without it, one mother told him, "I don't know what I would do."
Automotive problems plagued Smith and the 31 students on the trip. The car one student was traveling in had to be ditched in North Carolina. Both buses overheated, resulting in a two-day layover in Caryville, Tenn.
"I felt like a black cloud was following us," said Smith.
Group members "didn't whine" and "didn't complain," said Smith, and a "rescue ship" from Connie Maxwell Children's Home eventually arrived, allowing them to continue on their way.
For Smith, the positive attitudes of group members were the best part of the trip.
"I told them, 'I'd travel with you guys anywhere."