Keeping folks warm, safe and dry

By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
And Rhea-Frances Tetley
Staff writer

It was a day full of weather surprises: fog, rain, snow and some sun. Despite the forecast, Rebuilding Day 2026 went on as planned.

This year Rebuilding Together Mountain Communities had chosen three homes to be worked on as well as one community project. Each project had a house captain, a nontrade coordinator and a flock of volunteers.

Project #1

The home in Valley of Enchantment is owned by 82-year-old Paulette who has lived in her home for 42 years. Her home was damaged during one of the strong windstorms several years ago, when her power lines were dislodged. They were “temporarily” attached to a tree, at the time, so she received a complete new electric panel with a mast for Edison to properly reattach her power.

It took a crew from Shafe Electric a whole day to completely find all her electrical problems and shorts, grounding and replacing her old two-prong electrical plugs and rewiring parts of the house.

A hazardous tree that is at least 50 feet tall, that formerly had the electrical wires attached to it, will be removed by the hazardous tree program because it is bumping into and damaging the edge of her roof, resulting in a minor roof repair being required, said Wayne Palmer, the house captain.

Paulette’s rear wooden deck was collapsing, allowing rodents and water to enter the home. The water heater needs to be moved temporarily so a new cement patio deck can be poured as it is the access to her washer and dryer. Volunteers replaced a closet door upstairs and painted under the kitchen cabinets. They removed the pine needles from the roof, which are a fire hazard, and will be calling in a chimney sweep.

The previously well-manicured yard was severely overgrown with weeds several feet tall, growing over the walkways and water features. Last year Paulette fell in the yard, so they added rails along the pathways. The stone walkways were cleared so it will be safe again for her to enjoy her lovely gardens and yard.

Palmer said, “It was a pleasure to make Paulette’s life better.”

The nontrade coordinator was Allison Banner. The house sponsors were Carolyn King Trust, the Lake Arrowhead Rotary and Thomas and Candace Spiel.

Project #2

Nancy, the owner of Home #2, is 91 years old and has lived in her home on the top of a knoll in the San Moritz area of Crestline for 33 years. The outside of her home needed extensive clean up; the weather held long enough for the volunteers to clean up the quickly growing weeds in the yard because of the recent rainstorms.

The asphalt driveway received repairs because it was uneven and unsafe. This driveway is also shared by several other homes on their access road. Inside, the bathroom received several repairs including replacing the tub faucet. A drywall repair in the bathroom was completed and a new electrical light fixture was installed.

Nancy was a previous recipient of Rebuilding Together Mountain Communities services and was so grateful to be considered again for these needed repairs to make her home safe, dry and warm.

Shelley Kelly accepted the position of house captain the night before Rebuilding Day. Robert Block was the nontrade coordinator. The house sponsors were Triple Edge Financial Services and the David and Mary Underwood Family Trust.

Project #3

Judith, a 58-year-old single woman, has lived in Green Valley Lake since 1996 and has owned her cabin that was part of Rebuilding Day since 2007.

She applied to be part of Rebuilding Day as her water company had told her there was a leak in the cabin, a leak she and her family could not find.

The multiple tradespeople working at her home replaced her water heater and furnace. They also replaced the kitchen faucet, removed a ceiling fan and replaced it with a light, rebuilt her front deck and repaired her roof.

Several volunteers worked in her yard, raking up leaves and pine needles.

House captain Derrick Kraus praised the crew and the work they accomplished. The nontrade coordinator was Lorna Polley. House sponsors were the Ted Roy Charity Foundation and the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club.

Kraus and Robert Block presented Judith with a quilted wall hanging made by the Dogwood Quilters. Told it was to help her remember the day, Judith replied, “I will never forget this day.”

Project #4

The Crest Forest Senior Citizens senior center on the shore of Lake Gregory was Project #4 and this year’s community project. This nonprofit group has regularly scheduled activities five days a week and outside public groups use the building on the weekends.

The interior walls of the two large public rooms and hallway of the senior center known as Leisure Shores were painted because, after years of use by numerous groups, the painted walls were scraped from tables and furniture being moved on a daily basis. The rooms were hand rolled and brush painted with the two-toned rooms containing numerous windows with trim.

The seniors provided the paint and Rebuilding Together provided the dozens of volunteer painters in the large rooms. The walls were prepped and taped off and, after the painting was completed, they cleaned up very well. This project had many entire families volunteering with parents bringing their children of many ages, helping with the prep, painting and yard work.

Outside Leisure Shores volunteers did weed whacking around the whole building, and up the hillside. Tree limb removal and bush trimming was done by several volunteers from the school district, community members and members of the senior club. Even a tall dead tree in the large yard was cut down and removed. Four dumpsters were filled with green yard waste.

The house captain was Tony Crowder. The nontrade coordinators were Tim Clarke, who had spent days prepping the building for the painting, and Tamara Bellamy, the Leisure Shores office manager.

Spaghetti dinner

This year’s spaghetti dinner was prepared by three members of the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club: Elizabeth O’Neil, Jenny Hueter and Catherine Savich. They prepared a variety of baked penne, served with salad and garlic bread. As the workers filed into the Twin Peaks Community Center, they filled their plates and declared the dinner the best ever.

Each project reported on the work they had accomplished. Homeowner Paulette from House #1 said she felt overwhelmed. “I think you all know how wonderful it feels to give. I want to thank the team.” And then she prayed a blessing over all those present.

Board member Diane Davis had high praise for Shelley Kelly for stepping up the night before to take over as house captain. She noted that Shelley and her husband, David, have volunteered with Rebuilding Day for years.

Derrick Kraus thanked Rebuilding Together for the opportunity to be house captain. His crew worked far longer than usual – until 5:30 p.m. in the snow – to accomplish as much as they did.

Homeowner Judith was unable to attend the dinner but sent a message of thanks. “Words alone are not adequate to express my appreciation,” she wrote. “The whole team went beyond in so many ways.”

As for the crew at Leisure Shores, Tim Clarke noted that everyone was laughing and having a good time. Tamara Bellamy said she has a vision of helping with more community projects to beautify the mountain.

Rebuilding Together Mountain Communities thanks these contractors for their work on Rebuilding Day: Shafe Electric, Accessible Construction/Adam Fine, Bill Blackburn, Michael Ormerod, Ryan Overholtzer, Rick Roger Drywall, RB Plumbing/Rick Miller, Alex Polston Concrete, Steve Beecroft, Heather Collins, D Kraus Construction, Indoor Weather Heating & Air, Christopher Dennis, David Wistrand, Hank Coats, Tony Crowder, Terry & Debra Bollin, Ben Roplogle, Shurie Tafoya.

For more information on Rebuilding Together Mountain Communities and to make a donation to support their outreach into the community, visit rebuildingtogethermountaincommunities.org.