Psomas Engineering pulled together a group of family and friends to join us at Il Sorrento Mobile Home Park in Moreno Valley on Saturday to paint the home of Viola and Judy. The homeowners are both seniors who definitely can’t afford a new paint job (a recent estimate of the cost to paint one of these mobile homes was over $2,000) and are unable to do the exterior work themselves. Viola gets around using her walker or motorized scooter and her daughter Judy helps her out but she is also feeling the effects of growing older!
A cool morning welcomed the friendly group as they looked at the home and thought, “hmm, this shouldn’t be too bad”. They soon realized that there were areas of the home that had definitely been neglected and needed some TLC which this group was ready to supply. Salina, one of our Habitat homeowners, joined us once again to work off her sweat equity. She is becoming very good at this painting gig and should have no trouble keeping her own new home looking good. She is a regular now with our A Brush With Kindness program and a great volunteer.
Once the group understood the plan for the day, they all got busy. Not without having a good time at each other’s expense though. What else would you expect from a close knit group of family and friends? The family banter started early and continued throughout the morning. Apparently Nick missed the memo about the fact that they were going to be painting and he didn’t dress for the part. After having a bit of trouble keeping clean, and harassing Leni, he was sent to the shed where he did much less damage to his clothes. He had to leave early for a car show. Anyone who knows Nick knows that nothing stops him from a good car show! It’s OK Nick, the rest of the group held up your end and kept working away.
Bruce’s wife Toni brought out homemade chocolate chip cookies to keep everyone going. With the work complete, the volunteers all gathered on the patio for a group photo with the homeowners who were amazed at the work. The group even painted the details on the ramp which was no easy task. Then Judy brought out her own batch of freshly baked cookies as a small token of thanks from the homeowners. After enjoying a second batch of cookies the volunteers helped load the truck and went back to their busy lives.
As always after the volunteers leave, the homeowners slowly wandered around the home admiring the work. As usual, the transformation as a result of a group of caring people, even though it is just a paint job, has made the lives of these homeowners just that much better.
Thank you Psomas Engineering for giving up your Saturday morning to make a difference for Viola and Judy! They will always remember you and what you did for them.
