The CCC Group Cabin Stabilization project at Pocahontas State Park has received national recognition for its efforts to improve the park’s historic group cabins. The 2021 Cabin Work Week Preparation portion of the project, sponsored by The Friends of Pocahontas State Park (The Friends), beat out over 2,200 submissions and was selected as one of Lowe’s 100 Hometowns impact projects in an initiative that celebrates Lowe’s centennial.

The Weyanock Cabin #2 in need of some fresh paint and a little TLC.

On the statewide front and just a month earlier, The Friends were awarded the 2020 Virginia State Park Volunteer Group of the Year by Dorie Stolley, Director of Community Engagement and Volunteerism of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The award recognizes teams that improve the park experience while engaging volunteers and serving as a role model for others. The Friend’s ability to successfully carry out the project safely despite the pandemic restrictions was among the reasons cited in the presentation.

 “To say we were surprised is an understatement”, said David Dieter, project lead for the Group Cabin Stabilization effort. “The award from the state was an amazing honor, but to be followed by the highly selective Lowe’s grant a month later. . . It makes so much of what we do worth it to receive the recognition and then the financial support to make it happen.”

A collection of volunteers diligently working to improve the historic group cabins at Pocahontas State Park.

More about the Project

In 2018, a group of enthusiastic volunteers gathered for the first Cabin Work Week in late October to begin the work to reclaim the worst of the cabins. With six group cabins and several outbuildings, the project had several years of work ahead of it. Each of the past two years, the work has focused on one of the six group cabin sites: patching roofs, repairing siding, replacing shutters and screens, and painting all of the cabin exteriors.

In preparation for this year’s Cabin Work Week event, there are groups working on the cabins throughout the year. On monthly work days, Public Lands Day, Youth Conservation Corps and other group events, volunteers gather to paint cabins and stain decks.

All of this preparation will make the intensive Cabin Work Weeks in November all the more successful. This year, volunteer groups will be out restoring cabins between Nov. 1–5 and 8–12. This diverse and talented group of volunteers will complete the majority of the repairs. In exchange, the park provides a free campsite for their stay and a variety of organized park activities.

With over 60 volunteers participating each of the last two years, their efforts have improved the cabins tremendously, sealing them against weather and animals, improving their appearance and enabling those who use them to better enjoy their time in the park.

Interested? Come Join the Team

Volunteer priming boards at a cabin work week event.

This project won’t succeed without volunteers. If you want to join an award-winning team, come out to Pocahontas State Park to help with the efforts to save these historic cabins for future generations of youth.

If you have a little time, join us for an upcoming monthly work day, currently scheduled 8:30 a.m. to noon on July 24, Aug. 28 and Sept. 25.                      

In the fall, Cabin Work Week, scheduled Nov. 1–5 and 8–12, will need volunteers to help with carpentry, painting, roofing, screening, etc. We can accommodate individuals at any skill level. All anyone needs is a desire to be part of a team and the willingness to work and have fun. Cabin Work Week volunteers that live in the local area join us on days that accommodate their schedules while those that come from out of the area are offered a complimentary campsite in exchange for one or two weeks of assistance.

If your group is looking to complete a service project that involves working on the cabins, we can help to make that happen as well.

To volunteer or for more information, contact the volunteer coordinator at Pocahontasvolunteer@dcr.virginia.gov or 804-796-4484.

About the Awards

Lowe’s 100 Hometowns

The 100 Hometowns program will complete 100 projects across 37 states that rebuild areas reeling from natural disasters, repair critical housing, restore beloved community centers and revive green spaces. The 100 Hometowns projects span urban, rural and suburban communities and will benefit an array of community members, from toddlers, teens and seniors to veterans, small business owners, students and more.

For more information, visit the 100 Hometowns landing page or search for the #100Hometowns on social.

Volunteer Group of the Year

Each year, park staff nominate exemplary individual volunteers and groups for this prestigious award. The nominees, extraordinary groups from across the state with varying backgrounds, interests and talents, all have one thing in common: their devotion to Virginia State Parks and our mission of conservation, recreation, education and stewardship. A committee reviews and ranks the nominees, sending the top three contenders to the State Parks Director, Dr. Melissa Baker, who makes the final, difficult decision.