No matter how her quest eventually turns out, Donna McLaughlin deserves credit for trying.

McLaughlin, touched by the plight of residents on Rock Hill's Blackmon Road, is determined to move a double-wide mobile home to the impoverished neighborhood. The building would serve as a center for community services such as child care, drug and alcohol counseling, medical services and job training.

The mobile home now sits behind a Pineville veterinary clinic, where her husband, Charles, is a managing partner. It had served as temporary quarters for the clinic while a permanent structure could be built, and it now stands vacant.

But, as many good Samaritans have learned, few things are easy when it comes to Blackmon Road. Good intentions often founder on the rocks of bureaucracy and unforeseen expenses.

For starters, moving the mobile home to Blackmon Road would cost thousands. McLaughlin hopes some of the moving work could be donated, but other hurdles lie in her path.

She has to find a suitable site for the home; she has to arrange for electrical, water and sewer hookups, which require permits; she has to equip the center and find someone to take care of it; and she has to find a way to pay for it all.

McLaughlin says she has a stubborn streak and will see the project through. We hope she succeeds, and admire her determination. The folks on Blackmon Road surely could use the help.

If you want to help, contact McLaughlin at (704) 583-4949 or dmclaughlin@espassoc.com, or visit www.aplaceforhope.net.

[Donna McLaughlin], touched by the plight of residents on Rock Hill's Blackmon Road, is determined to move a double-wide mobile home to the impoverished neighborhood. The building would serve as a center for community services such as child care, drug and alcohol counseling, medical services and job training.

For starters, moving the mobile home to Blackmon Road would cost thousands. McLaughlin hopes some of the moving work could be donated, but other hurdles lie in her path.