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Six low-income West County homes revitalized by volunteers
by Patricia M. Roth - Sonoma West Staff Writer
The scent of freshly cut grass and mint filled the air early Saturday morning as Bonnie Wilson, 81, watched two dozen volunteers revitalize the house that she and her late husband, Roy, bought 53 years ago in Sebastopol.
The volunteers went to work with weed-wackers, hammers, paintbrushes and elbow grease in a flurry of activity that brought to mind an old-fashioned barn-raising. Smiles were contagious and no task seemed too tall for the men and women who worked on the 99-year-old house and spacious yard that for years sheltered Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and their four children.
Similar scenes were repeated simultaneously on six houses and three mobile homes in Graton, Forestville and Sebastopol. It was the West County's first attempt at Rebuilding Together, a national program that operates through local affiliates to help keep low-income homeowners in their homes.
They started off with a bang.
“We go in there and do deferred maintenance and major repairs that homeowners can't get to,” said Terry Kelley, executive director of the Sebastopol Area Senior Center. Kelley co-chaired Rebuilding Together in Sebastopol with Suzanne Wandrei, a realtor with Prudential California Realty.
“It's exciting” said Wandrei, “because in the business I'm in we see a lot of houses with deferred maintenance and, for the most part, they belong to seniors who live on social security and can't afford to maintain their homes. That's a criminal situation - some of these people have lived in their houses since they were young couples and they raised their children here.
“It's time we take care of our own in West County, and that's what we're trying to do,” she said. “We picked the homes we thought we could manage - and six houses and three mobile homes out of the gate is huge.”
One hundred fifty volunteers participated in West County's first Rebuilding Together event. They worked from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and used close to $50,000 in donated goods and services. The event will take place nationally next weekend throughout the country.
In Sebastopol, a Rebuilding Together committee began planning the project one year ago. Seven house captains acted as general contractors for each site and were the key to its success, pointed out Kelley.
“We had a real good mix of volunteers, from community folks and leaders in the community to people we didn't know who offered to help,” said Kelley.
The volunteers included members of Sebastopol's two Rotary clubs, agents from California Prudential Realty, West-Cal Mortgage Company, students from Laguna High School Interact Club, individuals from the Community Church of Sebastopol (who prepared meals), the senior center, city of Sebastopol and other local and out of town businesses.
This year's recipients were senior citizens and one single mother with children.
“Each of the projects had unique attributes but in short order will be life-changing for those individuals,” said Kelley. He recalled standing outside one of the houses on Saturday afternoon. “The owner came out, overwhelmed. A thought crossed my mind: These homes were their dream homes and over time that dream has gotten away. We went in and helped them rekindle that dream.”
So it was for Mrs. Wilson. On Saturday, she sat for a moment at her kitchen table. Photos of her children when they were young hung on the wall. Thanks to Rebuilding Together, a brand new stove now replaced the old one (only one burner worked, two if you lit one with a match).
“I'm so thankful to these people,” she said. “After my husband died, my home care person told me about the program. I'm really happy.”
She recalled what first attracted her to the house. “The whole corner was in gladiolas and they were blooming,” she said. Back then, it was much quieter, she explained. The kids ran across the street to buy drinks from Frank's Corner, a grocery store, bar and service station. Her husband used to “do everything around here,” she said.
These days, her children return to visit with their own kids. “They love to come over here and go wild in the yard,” said Mrs. Wilson's youngest son, Doug, 41. Doug recalled how the train used to make the whole house shake when it rambled by their house and how dad had been very resourceful. He'd gather materials from various places to use on their house. “He built the laundry room and the back bedroom. He'd bring everything home and nail it up,” he said.
The team captain in charge of the Wilson house, Ray Christiansen, worked as a general contractor before becoming a realtor with Prudential. He said he leaned on a few of his friends to pitch in, and the rest were realtors. “Everyone was willing to volunteer,” he said.
“We're having a blast,” added Paula Gold-Nocella, branch manager, who was painting the living room. “Our office sponsored this house and bunches of my agents are here.” West-Cal Mortgage was also a sponsor.
Realtor Lisa Ulmer said her family had been on the receiving end when she was growing up. Volunteers installed insulation in her parents' house and it had reduced their heating bill, something for which she's always been grateful. She talked while putting a fresh coat of paint on the Wilson's address sign. “I feel like my heart's getting bigger and bigger Š just to stop and pause and help someone,” she said.
Rebuilding Together will be an annual, ongoing West County event. To apply, contact the Sebastopol Area Senior Center at 829-2440 or sebsenior@net10.net. To be eligible, applicants must be homeowners with low to middle income levels.
In addition to Christiansen, this year's house captains included Phil Barbieri, Ron Bartholomew, Warren Brown, Bob Cary, Ron Cutler and George Ryan.
Sponsors included Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise, Rotary Club of Sebastopol, Prudential California Realty, Community Church of Sebastopol, West-Cal Mortgage Company, Dee Jay's Sash & Glass, Inc., The Hitmen Termite & Pest Control, Sebastopol Area Senior Center, Sebastopol Hardware, East-West Cafe, Starbucks, Mead Clark Lumber Company, CLP, TeeVax Home Appliance & Kitchen Center, Friedman's, Wells Fargo, North Bay Association of Realtors and Costco.
The volunteers went to work with weed-wackers, hammers, paintbrushes and elbow grease in a flurry of activity that brought to mind an old-fashioned barn-raising. Smiles were contagious and no task seemed too tall for the men and women who worked on the 99-year-old house and spacious yard that for years sheltered Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and their four children.
Similar scenes were repeated simultaneously on six houses and three mobile homes in Graton, Forestville and Sebastopol. It was the West County's first attempt at Rebuilding Together, a national program that operates through local affiliates to help keep low-income homeowners in their homes.
They started off with a bang.
“We go in there and do deferred maintenance and major repairs that homeowners can't get to,” said Terry Kelley, executive director of the Sebastopol Area Senior Center. Kelley co-chaired Rebuilding Together in Sebastopol with Suzanne Wandrei, a realtor with Prudential California Realty.
“It's exciting” said Wandrei, “because in the business I'm in we see a lot of houses with deferred maintenance and, for the most part, they belong to seniors who live on social security and can't afford to maintain their homes. That's a criminal situation - some of these people have lived in their houses since they were young couples and they raised their children here.
“It's time we take care of our own in West County, and that's what we're trying to do,” she said. “We picked the homes we thought we could manage - and six houses and three mobile homes out of the gate is huge.”
One hundred fifty volunteers participated in West County's first Rebuilding Together event. They worked from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and used close to $50,000 in donated goods and services. The event will take place nationally next weekend throughout the country.
In Sebastopol, a Rebuilding Together committee began planning the project one year ago. Seven house captains acted as general contractors for each site and were the key to its success, pointed out Kelley.
“We had a real good mix of volunteers, from community folks and leaders in the community to people we didn't know who offered to help,” said Kelley.
The volunteers included members of Sebastopol's two Rotary clubs, agents from California Prudential Realty, West-Cal Mortgage Company, students from Laguna High School Interact Club, individuals from the Community Church of Sebastopol (who prepared meals), the senior center, city of Sebastopol and other local and out of town businesses.
This year's recipients were senior citizens and one single mother with children.
“Each of the projects had unique attributes but in short order will be life-changing for those individuals,” said Kelley. He recalled standing outside one of the houses on Saturday afternoon. “The owner came out, overwhelmed. A thought crossed my mind: These homes were their dream homes and over time that dream has gotten away. We went in and helped them rekindle that dream.”
So it was for Mrs. Wilson. On Saturday, she sat for a moment at her kitchen table. Photos of her children when they were young hung on the wall. Thanks to Rebuilding Together, a brand new stove now replaced the old one (only one burner worked, two if you lit one with a match).
“I'm so thankful to these people,” she said. “After my husband died, my home care person told me about the program. I'm really happy.”
She recalled what first attracted her to the house. “The whole corner was in gladiolas and they were blooming,” she said. Back then, it was much quieter, she explained. The kids ran across the street to buy drinks from Frank's Corner, a grocery store, bar and service station. Her husband used to “do everything around here,” she said.
These days, her children return to visit with their own kids. “They love to come over here and go wild in the yard,” said Mrs. Wilson's youngest son, Doug, 41. Doug recalled how the train used to make the whole house shake when it rambled by their house and how dad had been very resourceful. He'd gather materials from various places to use on their house. “He built the laundry room and the back bedroom. He'd bring everything home and nail it up,” he said.
The team captain in charge of the Wilson house, Ray Christiansen, worked as a general contractor before becoming a realtor with Prudential. He said he leaned on a few of his friends to pitch in, and the rest were realtors. “Everyone was willing to volunteer,” he said.
“We're having a blast,” added Paula Gold-Nocella, branch manager, who was painting the living room. “Our office sponsored this house and bunches of my agents are here.” West-Cal Mortgage was also a sponsor.
Realtor Lisa Ulmer said her family had been on the receiving end when she was growing up. Volunteers installed insulation in her parents' house and it had reduced their heating bill, something for which she's always been grateful. She talked while putting a fresh coat of paint on the Wilson's address sign. “I feel like my heart's getting bigger and bigger Š just to stop and pause and help someone,” she said.
Rebuilding Together will be an annual, ongoing West County event. To apply, contact the Sebastopol Area Senior Center at 829-2440 or sebsenior@net10.net. To be eligible, applicants must be homeowners with low to middle income levels.
In addition to Christiansen, this year's house captains included Phil Barbieri, Ron Bartholomew, Warren Brown, Bob Cary, Ron Cutler and George Ryan.
Sponsors included Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise, Rotary Club of Sebastopol, Prudential California Realty, Community Church of Sebastopol, West-Cal Mortgage Company, Dee Jay's Sash & Glass, Inc., The Hitmen Termite & Pest Control, Sebastopol Area Senior Center, Sebastopol Hardware, East-West Cafe, Starbucks, Mead Clark Lumber Company, CLP, TeeVax Home Appliance & Kitchen Center, Friedman's, Wells Fargo, North Bay Association of Realtors and Costco.
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