By RYAN CHRISTNER

rchristner@dailynews.net

KIRWIN -- About two years ago, Curtis Bretton was attending a city council meeting about a new ordinance to clean up the town.

That wasn't a big deal for Bretton who, at 40, is capable of handling the manual labor necessary to keep his home in good condition.

But then an "older gentleman" spoke up, he said, and told council members about how he had recently suffered a heart attack while mowing his lawn. The work was just getting too much for him.

It was an eye-opening tale, Bretton said.

"After he got done talking, I said 'I don't know why we can't get some of these younger guys together and get something going.'"

So, he started to look for interest from other Kirwin residents about coming together to do free work for local senior citizens.

A little while later, his sign-up sheet had 26 names on it.

Bretton calls his volunteer organization Extra Hands, and after two years of assisting the town's older population -- there is a cut-off point of at least 62 years of age -- he said he couldn't be more proud of how far it's come.

"It went a lot further than I ever thought it would go," he said.

Every other weekend, Extra Hands workers gather to cut down trees and haul off branches, mow yards, spray for dandelions, clear weeds, salt and snow-blow sidewalks in the winter. The group even has volunteers who will pick up and deliver groceries and medicine.

With more than one-tenth of the town's population helping in the cleanup effort, a lot can get done in two days.

"We can do up to 17 yards on a weekend," Bretton said.

The group operates entirely on donations and has received considerable help from the Cole and Morgan foundations in Phillipsburg, the Hansen Foundation in Logan, the city of Kirwin and several local businesses.

The money they have been given has allowed them to purchase three riding lawn mowers, two snow blowers, an 8-foot by 10-foot trailer, two leaf blowers and other miscellaneous equipment. One Kirwin resident even gave them a pickup truck.

"It's unbelievable how far it's gone," Bretton said.

Without the group's generosity, resident Queenie Leydig said she wouldn't be able to keep up the appearance of her home.

"They make it look like someone lives here, instead of a jungle," she said.

Leydig estimated she was one of the first people helped by Extra Hands. At 86 years old, she said her body doesn't let her do the things she'd like to.

"I try to keep up my flowers and I can't even do that," she said.

Now, she doesn't have to worry about how the work will get done.

"They're just really good," Leydig said. "I don't know how they are able to have the time to do all of this."

Seeing and hearing the appreciation from the local seniors often brings tears to Bretton's eyes, he said. That's what makes the whole process worthwhile and something he fully intends to keep going as far into the future as he can.