A fresh coat of paint was long overdue for Marshall’s home.  As a retired senior, he did not have the financial or physical means to repaint the home himself.   Luckily, Habitat for Humanity Riverside and a dedicated group of volunteers were there to help. On the morning of June 3^rd, 16 volunteers repaintedMarshall’s family’s home.  The volunteers consisted of UC Riverside’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter and several business students from Riverside City College.  Together, the two groups of students worked efficiently and effectively to repaint the home in no time.

After a brief safety lecture, no time was wasted by the volunteers as they organized themselves into groups and helped bring out the materials for the day.  The few volunteers who had never painted before were taught by those who had, and shown the best tips on how to paint like a Habitat pro.  The students from both schools worked incredibly well together that morning.  Owen, the President of the Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter at UC Riverside mentioned, “It was great being able to work with students from RCC.  We hope they volunteer again at the same time we do.”  With the temperature heating up around lunch time, the volunteers took a break and enjoyed sports drinks, water, and sodas provided by the Marshall’s family.  To everyone’s surprise, however, the homeowners fired up their barbecue and began cooking all of the volunteers’ lunches!  Everyone sat together in the cool of the shade and ate their burgers, hot dogs, and chips.  As each volunteer received their plate of food, they thanked Marshall’s family, but they nearly always responded with, “No… thank you.” The happy and full volunteers then returned to painting and quickly finished the home.

With the incredible work performed by the volunteers, Marshall’s family can finally enjoy peace of mind.  As the paint dried on their home, one of the homeowners exclaimed, “We thought it would never be repainted!  We are so blessed to have everyone here helping us.  The house looks like it was brought back to life.”  The volunteers and homeowners then gathered together for a group picture and another successful A Brush with Kindness project concluded.