By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY – Senior Writer

About 150 volunteers arrived at the Twin Peaks Community Center bright and early on Saturday morning, June 24, about to embark on a mission that would result in desperately needed repairs to five homes in order to make them warm, dry and safe for their occupants, many of whom are living on fixed incomes and lack the resources and energy to do it themselves.

Holding a Rebuilding Together banner (L-R) are contractor Scott Markovich, homeowner Jean Allen and volunteers Karyn and Rudy Westervelt.

This year’s 28th annual Rebuilding Day (formerly “Christmas in April”), originally scheduled for Saturday, April 21, was postponed due to the unusually large amount of snow left on the ground by the devastating mid-winter blizzard.

After enjoying camaraderie, coffee, fresh fruit and donuts, provided by the sponsoring San Bernardino Mountains Association of Building Contractors, the men and women volunteers and house captains set out to begin what, in many cases, would be an eight-hour-long workday at each of the five homes, four of which were in Crestline and one in Running Springs.

At day’s end, a traditional spaghetti dinner provided by the Lake Arrowhead Mountain Sunris Rotary Club was served to all those who participated, at the Twin Peaks Community Center.

Upon arrival at the Valley of Enchantment home of Donna Foley on Davidson Lane, house captain Matt Brule introduced himself to the Alpine Mountaineer and explained that the crew working there was replacing a weather-worn deck and stairway to make it safe. Meanwhile, Allison Banner and Luanne McCumber were sprucing up the interior and cleansing windows.

A new cement walkway was made for a home on Moon Drive in Crestline.

At the next home visited, on Nesthorn Drive in Crestline, house captain Scott Markovich said the crew had removed an old, worn-out washer and dryer, removed pine needles and leaves from the surrounding yard and removed tree limbs that were too close to the roof to make the home “fire-safe.” Also, an electrician replaced an electrical outlet on the deck and a plumber was called to replace a leaky kitchen faucet, while other workers replaced a worn-out wooden bridge walkway to the front door.

Homebound Julie Holbert said the repairs to her Moon Drive home in Crestline have greatly improved the quality of her life.

Markovich said he had recommended the work to be done to his mother-in-law, Jean Allen, who is the homeowner. “There’s a lot of work to be done here, so I talked to her back in October. I thought she would be a good candidate,” Markovich said. Susan Markovich added, “Jean’s husband passed away a few months ago and today would have been his birthday, so this is a celebration for his birthday.”

Over in the 900 block of Moon Drive in Valley of the Moon, near Dart Canyon, house captain Dave Bennett explained that new cement was being poured to replace a walkway to the house. When homeowner Julie Holbert was asked how she found out about Rebuilding Day, she responded, “I learned about this from my primary physician, who gave me an application, so I filled it out and applied.”

Holbert added that Christmas in April volunteers had been to her home three times in the past, when they had installed a generator, a lift, a walk-in bathtub and a sling-lift in the bathroom. “Today,” Holbert said, “they’re installing a ramp so I can get out of the house in case of an emergency and a cement walkway with handrails. All of this has greatly improved the quality of my life. Otherwise, I would not be able to stay in my home and be an independent person.”

House captain Dave Bennett was encountered jacking up a deck that was damaged during the recent winter storms. When asked what inspired him to become a Rebuilding Together volunteer, Bennett said, “I’ve been volunteering, on and off, for about 25 years. I thought it was a good idea to help the community. It’s fun, and I love the grass roots aspect.”

Kat Swanson is extremely grateful for the new kitchen sink and wood flooring in her Pleasant Drive home in Running Springs.

The final home visited was in the 31,000 block of Pleasant Drive in Running Springs, where homeowner Kat Swanson had a veteran friend recommend that she apply for help. Inside her home, workers removed a worn-out carpet in her kitchen and replaced it with new wooden planks. They also replaced her worn-out sink and faucet. Outside, volunteers trimmed tree branches that were too close to her home and removed pine needles and leaves from her yard and remove wood scraps from her build-up. “They will be returning to place insulation in my attic and the build-up,” she said.

Major contributors who helped finance this year’s event and who help other homeowners year-round include Rim Forest Lumber, Burrtec, Goering Portable Toilets, the youth and seniors of Lake Gregory Church, RB Plumbing, Empire Homebuilders, mountain area Rotary Clubs, Yaamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel.

According to contractor Scott Markovich, the budget for the June 24 Rebuilding Day was $6,000 for each of the five homes that received repairs.