Christmas in October

The Christmas in October program has been around Kansas City for years, yet I had never worked in a work group that provided the opportunity to participate.  That is, until this year.  I few weeks ago I volunteered to donate a Saturday before hearing the horror stories of those volunteer teams who got stuck with a family with younger members who seemed disturbed that you would inconvenience them by working on their house.  Or those who worked in a house so uninhabitable that breathing was a risk.  Or the unfortunate team who volunteered to do more work than could be done in a month of Saturdays.  I heard the horror stories and wondered if last Saturday would be a good day or a bad one.

But I did have the sense to throw in with a veteran team leader who took the time to both review the work load versus the team size, and interview the residents we were planning to help.  It made all the difference in the world.  At 8:00 AM we pulled up to the small 2 bedroom home of Mr. and Mrs Love who lived at 111 Ghetto Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.  Mr. Love was 80+ and had significant health problems brought on by a career in a burlap bag factory which exposed him to formaldehyde and led to the loss of a lung.  He was the healthier of the two.  Mrs. Love was on dialysis, and couldn't move around much.  Both were very nice people who appreciated the help we were there to offer.  I couldn't have asked for anything better than to provide assistance to an intercity couple who couldn't do for themselves.

Still I worried that -T would have a problem. The first job was to clear out the front and back yards of years worth of trash, debris and overgrowth.  I knew that one rat or snake and -T would be done for the day.  But while the work was hard and sometimes unpleasant, the critters left us all alone and by noon, much of the outside work was finished.  Even my "skilled" work was already underway.  I had finished replacing a 4x8 sheet of plywood that served as a ceiling in their back porch, and had replaced a rotted out panel in their back door.  A couple of others were working to replace the couple's sink and counter top.  That sounds like a massive project until you consider the tiny kitchen had only one counter about 5 feet long, and in that section was the sink.  Somehow, the Love's had raised 4 children in that small home.

By 3:00 PM, the projects were complete and the volunteer ladies were helping Mrs. Love clean and organize her living room.  -T and I took that opportunity to leave.  We said our goodbyes to the couple who profusely thanked us.  We were both whacked, and in bed by 8:00 PM.  We never do that.

This morning at work I spoke with another volunteer who stayed a little longer than we did.  She told me that Mr. Love spent an hour working his newly repaired and painted backdoor.  He had never had a backdoor with a lock and key before, and estatic that he now had one.  The experience left me amazed at how those who live in the same city are not accustomed to the little things we take for granted.  I don't think about small homes or locks on my door. I have a large house with many locks.  I don't worry that I don't have cabinet or counterspace to make my peanut butter and cheese sandwich.  I never worry about a triple homicide ccurring across the street.  But the Love's do because it happened a couple week ago.

It is a different world and only a few miles away.  I plan to volunteer again, or maybe even lead a team next year.  I think Terri will do the same.  It was a satisfying experience.