After ABWK was rained out last Friday and Saturday we were determined to make sure we got this Saturday’s project completed. It rained pretty steady the night before but stopped early enough to allow the home to dry out a bit and we were on! Volunteers from Calvary Presbyterian Church and Emmanuel Lutheran Church were supplemented by a dedicated group from Riverside Rotary and together they painted the exterior of the home belonging to Haydee and her two children.
Thanks to Sonja for checking in all the volunteers and to Jim for taking pictures. Jim and Sonja also brought coffee to keep the volunteers ready to work. Once we did our safety orientation and Pastor Erin led us in prayer, the team assembled and wasted no time getting started. Most of the morning we had pretty clear skies but we could see the storm clouds approaching in the distance. This seemed to keep everyone moving because we all wanted to get done on time in order to let the paint job dry before the rain came. As a safety net, we sprayed the front of the home, including the large awning. The front of the house had more detail work with windows and trim so spraying that part of the house made short work of it and kept us on track.
Haydee’s son Richard joined in with the volunteers and helped us get the painting done. Haydee also joined in and worked alongside the volunteers. Just when we realized Haydee was not out painting in the front, she came out of the house with trays of cookies and homemade bunuelos! Wow, what a great treat and perfect timing. She also brought out assorted hot drinks to warm everyone up. After a short break, everyone got back to work and Haydee’s home was finished in perfect timing.
With the skies getting darker by the minute, we decided to hold off with painting the uprights for the patio awning and carport. We will tackle that with a couple of volunteers later in the week after the home has had a day or two of drying time. We will also do any touch ups as needed. There were a couple of spots where the roof was still dripping and that prevented the paint from drying. Most of the work was completed by 11:30AM with a few finishing touches on the front steps that were completed by a die-hard group of three ladies who just kept on working, even after the truck was loaded and everything was cleaned up. Salina, Sheila and JoAnn completely painted the front steps, the finishing touch to a great job. The homeowner was so excited to see the completed job. Our volunteers were amazing! Thanks to everyone for giving up a few hours of your Saturday to make a difference for this deserving family.
