NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA – On an annual day of service in Northeast Philadelphia, a group of new Philadelphia carpenters joined together to benefit the community and as the sounds of drilling fill the room, it appeared those wearing the yellow shirts and hardhats were on a mission. Their goal is to build benches for the Philadelphia community, a handy task many of them didn’t expect to be doing.

“Not at all, not at all, it was never introduced to me as a youngin’ or back in school, which I wish it was because I definitely would have been in it years ago,” says Karena Jennings, a 2nd year apprentice.

That lack of exposure is the reason Jennings brought her son along.

So how did she finally get her introduction into carpentry? The answer – the Carpenters’ Apprentice Ready Program better known as CARP, a program that helps people become acquainted with carpentry, especially minorities and females.

“I got my degree; I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing at the time and I finally had a soul moment and I did some searching. I found a phone number of somebody. I called them, they said come to this program, we’re starting in two days. I had no time to talk myself out of it,” says Gina Yiantselis a CARP Instructor and Carpenter.

And, it’s good that she didn’t because six years later, Yiantselis is a carpenter and is now back at CARP as an instructor.

“Once upon a time, nobody knew how to do anything, but we are here to teach you how to do those things so, you can give back to what you were given, keep this cycle going and growing every year,” says Yiantselis.

This cycle of giving back is very fitting as the group’s mission to build benches for the community is inspired by a man whose purpose was to give back and serve his community, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

So, for every drilling sound, it’s not only a step closer to continuing the program cycle but achieving the goal of Dr. King.

“I love the program, I came from the program, so I gotta give back. Somebody helped me. I got to go help other people. I want to show people that it can be done. I love the volunteer, I love to help my community,” says Jennings.

When it’s all said and done, there will be 12 custom-made benches that will be placed all across the city of Philadelphia.