Rising Star Academy rose to the challenge and painted the home of seniors Betty and Ken in the Il Sorrento Mobile Home Community in Moreno Valley. Finally, the weather cooperated for the first time in quite a while providing a light cloud cover to help keep the group cooler than usual for September. This was the first time the students from Rising Star Academy have volunteered, although not for lack of trying! Alicia has been trying to get a group in to work with us for quite a while but scheduling took some time and energy from both sides!

Ken and Betty’s home was in some pretty desperate need for a paint job. The old one had faded to an unattractive pinkish brown color and there were some pretty bad spots of rotted siding that needed replacement before any paint could be applied. Ken was more than willing to do the work, but he is dealing with those age annoyances which doesn’t allow him to be  as mobile as he would like to be when it comes to home repairs.

Most of the young and ambitious volunteers had no painting experience so they got a quick course in painting and they got right to work. As the group painted, Habitat staff continued to coach them along the way with some tips to help them complete the job right the first time.  It was really encouraging to see how respectful and focused this group was as they helped these homeowners.  They worked diligently to complete every task assigned. Once again our Habitat Volunteers Rock!

Rising Star Academy volunteers completed their volunteer job in pretty good time even though most of them had little hands-on painting experience before they started. Ken and Betty were so happy with the finished job and the work these kids did that Ken has offered to bring his famous Lousianna style barbecueing skills to their school in the near future to show his appreciation.

Thank you Rising Star Academy volunteers. You shine brightly and brought a much needed change into the lives of homeowners Betty and Ken!

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