As some students were beginning their spring break, Crafton Hills College business students were nearing the end of theirs. With just a couple days left they decided to end vacation volunteering for their first paint day with A Brush with Kindness! The morning started off early, homeowner Mario waited eagerly to meet all the volunteers. Mario’s home was in need of paint and some repairs. The paint was faded and stained along the exposed areas of the home and several areas of trim were water damaged and needed to be replaced. Mario, like most seniors is living on a fixed income and with receiving high bids to improve the home he was ecstatic to be helped by Habitat for Humanity. The first to arrive from Crafton Hills College was group leader Ericka. Ericka helped check in students and her and Mario’s optimistic, friendly attitudes woke everyone up! In no time everyone was accounted for, in a good mood, and ready to begin work.

The group was made up of eight students, being first timers did not slow them down at all. Ericka made sure they had no excuses and came prepared with snacks to keep her team going strong. The spring weather was perfect to paint and after everyone gathered for safety orientation and morning devotion the paint started rolling! The size of the group was not a problem, we handed out extension poles to paint those high hard to reach areas which helped speed up the process. Mario watched in amazement how quickly his home was being painted. He loved the new colors, a welcome change from the faded brown color. About an hour into the paint day we welcome Yvonne another Crafton Hills student, a little late but carrying a Starbucks coffee traveler with all the fix ins in hand. Once Mario saw there was coffee he was so delighted and feeling blessed with everyone’s hard work that he went to the local bakery to get the volunteers some Mexican sweet bread, a perfect pairing with hot coffee. Once Mario was back the volunteers took a small break to take pictures and enjoy their sweet bread and coffee, then it was right back to the project.

As the paint day continued our volunteer Patrick had to rush to work, but his friend Cameron was ready to take his place. Cameron came straight from work to help and we were glad, because by that time we had all begun painting the patio and steps railing trim. A job that demands a lot of hands in order to complete in a short amount of time. Around 12:30 Mario’s home was painted and he gladly took a group picture with the volunteers. Mario thanked everyone for taking their time to make his home look bright and cheery again; he was so thankful and tried to hold back his tears. Everyone was in a great mood and thanked Mario for the sweet bread and keeping them entertained with both his humor and his stories. Great job to Crafton Hills College students, we hope you enjoyed your break and we hope to see all of you again!