Fortified with coffee, doughnuts and fruit, with clouds and fog looming overhead, 200+ community volunteers headed off to their assignments. They were part of Rebuilding Together's National Rebuilding Day, still affectionately known as Christmas in April here in the mountains.
The work took place at several locations from Arrowbear Lake to Crestline. The team of volunteers at each site was overseen by a House Captain, a licensed contractor who, not only planned the project and ordered the materials, but also made sure everything went smoothly on the big event day. "We want to make sure we get the job done professionally and complete everything we start," said Sue Parks, Executive Director. "If that means going back another day, then so be it! Wayne (Palmer) insists on having a licensed contractor at each site so that the homeowner gets a professional job."
A delicious lunch is brought to each project. Bottled water and drinks are available all day.
Wayne Palmer is President of the Rebuilding Together Board and the Project Coordinator. In addition to visiting all the applicants as head of the seven-member selection committee, his job entails determining what tasks will be performed at each home, doing a cost analysis for each, and visiting the selected homes with the House Captain to examine the property and interview the applicant.
Santa made the rounds to each house again this year, bringing a gift of a rose bush for each homeowner. His own special touch was a candy cane hanging on one of the branches. The reaction from all the homeowners was pretty much the same: a tremendous sense of gratitude and a feeling of being completely overwhelmed.
At the end of the long day, the volunteers made their way back to the Mountain Communties Senior Center in Twin Peaks where they had registered in the morning. They were greeted by the delicious aroma of spaghetti sauce and garlic bread, prepared by members of the Mountain Sunrise Rotary club under the direction of Thacker Whyte. Palmer expressed thanks to the Rebuilding Together Board and all the volunteers. "God bless every one of you," he said. "We'll see you next year."