Reclaiming a place of tragedy

HUNTINGTON -- Reinforced floors, concrete sidewalks and plans for new electric and plumbing are resurrecting the house at 1410 Charleston Ave.

Renovators simply refer to the residence as The Hope House, and today many will gather to support the cause and remember four young lives cut too short.

It's the place where four teenagers died three years ago, in what investigators labeled as a drug-related homicide. The victims were Donté Ward, 19, of Huntington; Eddrick Clark, 18, of South Point, Ohio; Michael Dillon, 17, of Huntington; and Megan Poston, 16, of Barboursville. The teens died after being shot about 4:30 a.m. on May 22, 2005. The case remains unsolved.

Reclaiming the house was important to the All Saints Anglican Church. The 25-member congregation pushed to buy the residence when it was under contract by someone else. They focused on transforming a place of sorrow into a place for ministry.

The church's leader, Rector Andrew Counts, said it is the story of a single-family home that suffered its ultimate death as an apartment building when the teenagers died.

"It's a definite resurrection," he said. "The very worst thing that could happen at a place is for people to be murdered, and the very best thing that can happen is for someone to come and redeem that property.

"We're putting a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it, and it will be a place of life and hope now," Counts added.

Friends, family and the community will gather at the Hope House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. A car show, raffle and other activities will raise money for the ongoing renovations. At 1 p.m., a memorial service will remember the four slain teens and other victims of violent crime.

Church members want to develop a three-pronged program at the site. It will memorialize victims of violent crime, minister to families and mentor area students.

Counts is satisfied with their progress. He said it has been a weekend project operating on a shoestring budget. He believes their work is bringing healing to a wounded community. He said friends of the victims have walked by as they work.

"We'll invite them to come into the house, walk around and look," he said. "They'll be a little trepidatious at first, but as they go and see what we're doing, they kind of brighten up and say 'That's cool.' So there's this general feeling that this is a good thing and we're doing something positive."

For more information about today's Day of Hope Cruise-In, call 304-633-0042 or 304-525-7276.