Riverside based Defender Direct volunteers helped paint their second home with Habitat for Humanity Riverside this past Tuesday in King Arthur’s mobile home park. The team came to help Bob and Steve, who are both disabled and not able to paint the home themselves. Both gentlemen are living on fixed incomes which makes it difficult to afford a new paint job. Park managers cited Bob to have the home painted and repairs completed. The home had several different and mismatched colors of paint, the skirting at the front of the home and along the side was water damaged and needed to be replaced and reinforced. These repairs were completed before the Defender Direct volunteers came out to paint the home.
Calvin who championed both paint project days showed up with his team with waivers in hand. Once everyone was signed in, morning devotion was said and we reviewed safety standards just to make sure everyone was on the same page. Most of them had painted with Habitat the last time which made setup and splitting off in teams a breeze. To finish a bit earlier, more of the men were put on the long sides and the sunny back side. However, there were no complaints. While the Defender team worked hard on these three sides, Habitat volunteers were taking off the front high trim and the large awning. The awning was lowered to be able to reach the peak at the front of the home.
The volunteers armed with ladders took care of the trim in no time! Before we knew it, almost everything had been painted and the only area to be painted was under the front awning and the two shutters. Calvin’s guys finished this section and then it was time for the group photo with Bob who was thrilled with the new look of the home as was the park management.
Positive attitudes and strategic planning made for a great volunteer day, and in just over 3 ½ hours they painted the entire house! Way to go Defender Direct volunteers. Habitat for Humanity Riverside will be looking forward to partnering with your team again.
