What do you do when you have a crew of bankers who volunteer to paint on a 100 degree sunny Saturday? Have them paint indoors! Wells Fargo team members from all over Inland SoCal volunteered with Habitat Riverside on Saturday, May 17 to take rollers and brushes to the walls of the UrbanLIFT Habitat for Humanity Riverside rehabilitation project in Jurupa Valley. Through the organization and cheer leading of Robin Hought, Wells Fargo Community Affairs Officer of the Inland Empire, the volunteer group brought more than their heart and hands, Wells Fargo volunteers brought $10,000 through their Priority Market Grant!

Earlier in the week the holes in the walls from when we replaced all of the water pipes had been patched and textured over. Ironically, the pipes had burst just after Habitat for Humanity Riverside took possession of the home but before we actually started the renovation process. Even though it was a mess, the timing was perfect. And the homeowner will have brand new water pipes throughout the home which will last for years to come.

Robin Hought, also volunteer team leader, stopped on her way in from the Coachella Valley to pick up coffee and donuts. The team was fired up and ready to work from the beginning.

This home is one of four homes Habitat for Humanity Riverside has rehabilitated. Habitat homeowner and neighbor Maria Lazaro walked down the street to join in on the volunteer day.

Knowing that the temperatures had been hovering around 100 all week, we decided to paint the exterior later in the week as it cooled off and kept everyone out of the sun. The group wasted no time getting right to work and in no time they finished off every single interior wall, all of the ceilings and with an astonishing two coats of paint no less!

For good measure, they painted all of the baseboard material with a sparkling coat of semi-gloss in preparation for installation later in the week. After the volunteers were done, our project coordinator, Joe Michalak, said in astonishment, “Doesn’t look like I have any more painting to do here.”  The sign of a truly industrious and motivated group: Wells Fargo volunteers had painted the entire interior, baseboards and doors in half a day. He was very satisfied with the quality of work completed by Wells Fargo and Joe said it was some of the best volunteers he had ever worked with.

The renovation of this home is funded through WellsFargo UrbanLIFT grant (see check ceremony). Once the rebuild of this house is complete (early fall), Habitat Riverside will sell this home to a low-income, hard working family with an affordable 0% mortgage.