This past Friday, the Norco College Veterans Club and G4S Security teamed up with Habitat’s ABWK program to paint a mobile home for Connie, a senior living at the Riverside Country Club Mobile Home Park. Connie is on a fixed income and can’t afford to have her home painted.  While she has lived in the park for a while and enjoys her neighborhood, the quality of her home’s exterior is showing its age.  The home’s trim was a fluorescent green, reminiscent of 80’s, Memphis-inspired designs, and looked very worn out. Connie contacted Habitat to help repaint her home and so we organized the volunteers and supplies to get it painted; Connie was thrilled.

Military Veterans from the United States Armed Forces are some of the hardest working and most disciplined individuals around, and the Norco Vet group are no exception.  The group, which strives to support veterans locally and regionally (they support troops on the frontline by donating care packages and clothing items), volunteers with Habitat regularly and always does a good job.

I learned an important Navy saying for painting ships from one Vet, which goes “Once over dust, twice over rust,” and suggested that US Navy ships and submarines are held together more by paint than anything else.  While paint cannot fix all problems, this mobile home received a much needed face lift from our work.

G4S, a local, privately held security corporation, was kind enough to volunteer this Friday to paint this mobile home as well.   G4S is known for their professionalism and for having advanced skill sets in implementing security solutions.  Our Habitat affiliate would know because we are trying to utilize their services for our future new construction projects.  Furthermore, their commitment to serving their community is reflected in their volunteerism.  We were very lucky to have both the Norco Vet Club and  G4S for help us this Friday, and hope to work with both groups in the future.