The month of November started with an outpouring of volunteers ready and willing to donate their skills, time, and energy for A Brush with Kindness. This past weekend three different groups joined forces to help paint the homes of Ben and Erica, two homeowners who reside in Riverside’s Santiago Estates park. The morning was off to a great start when Bruce and New Beginnings Christian Church members showed up strong with over 25 volunteers. Springboard Solutions brought their staff to the project, and Denise,a future Habitat for Humanity Riverside Homeowner, came out with eager family and friends. With such an amount of volunteers the groups were split up to cover both homes.
Once Safety orientation was done with all the volunteers, Bruce said an inspiring morning devotion to start the day in the right direction. Bruce and the majority of his church members went to help with Erica’s home. Erica is a single mom with four children. She has been recently unemployed but while looking for work is continuing her studies to become a nurse. Erica was recently given notice by park management that her home needed to be repainted. The front and back walls of the home were faded and the high trim along the sides of the home had been painted difference colors.
As soon as the group saw the home there was no hesitation to help out. The first thing they did was to break up into even number of groups on all four sides of the home in order to focus on what needed the most attention. Most of the women began working on the side and back of the house where the paint was faded. The men used ladders to work on the trim and the front of the house. All the volunteers were eager to start and they worked quickly with smiles all around. Homeowner Erica had to leave to attend her son’s t-ball game but when she returned the group was already finishing up. They always say time passes quickly when you’re having fun.
New Beginnings Christian Church volunteers, thank you again for your dedication to help homeowners throughout the years and of course on this day. It was a pleasure to start off the day with so many volunteers and smiles!
