May 9, 2006

Rebuilding homes, restoring hope

Elderly Campbell resident’s home gets ‘Extreme Makeover’

By Jennifer Robertson
Staff Writer

When Elvira Angulo first moved to her Campbell home the land surrounding the house was covered with orchards. Fast forward 48 years and her home, one of the few homes left in this primarily light industrial area near San Tomas Expressway, was in serious need of repair. Discouraged, Angulo wondered how a 79-year-old widow such as herself could afford the extensive repairs costing thousands of dollars?

In just two days, several volunteers did thousands of dollars of repairs to this 65-year-old home.

Then, while attending a program for the elderly at the Campbell Community Center, Angulo learned about Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization that provides repairs for low-income and elderly residents. Angulo, a diabetic with arthritis who has had triple bypass surgery, felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time—hope— and decided to apply. Fortunately her home was chosen as an RTSV project.

A little history
Formerly called “Christmas in April,” Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley was established in 1991 and has repaired more than 343 homes and non-profit facilities in the area. The mission of the organization is to repair the homes of low-income homeowners so that they can “live in warmth, safety and independence.”

Each year, community volunteers spend two consecutive Saturdays in April repairing homes in the area, creating an urban version of a barn raising.

“It’s a volunteer-driven organization,” explained Beverly Jackson, executive director of Rebuilding Together SV. “It’s neighbor helping neighbor.”

Projects are sponsored by local businesses and organizations, and Rebuilding Together SV also holds fundraisers and obtains funding from the local government. The organization will host its second fundraiser in September called Paint the Town. Held last year at AP Stump’s in San Jose, the organization raised $20,568 through ticket sales for the silent auction. Ten percent of the funds were allocated for homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. All of the auctioned items were donated, including a Hawaiian vacation.

Twenty-five volunteers
This year, the Campbell project was sponsored by the Calpine Foundation, an energy company based in San Jose. Volunteers from the Family Community Church in south San Jose were also present.

Joe and Brendan of the Calpine Foundation work on the gutter of a Campbell home, one of the many items requiring repair.

Approximately 25 volunteers provided 420 hours of work on Angulo’s home, the only project chosen this year in Campbell and the thirteenth Campbell project since the program’s inception. Repairs included painting the interior and exterior walls, which had not been painted in at least 20 years.

Siobhan Dye, project coordinator and former Calpine employee, was open to doing projects and decided to get involved with this one about two years ago. One of the best parts of the project was working with the homeowner, who was overwhelmed by the job performed by the volunteers. “Mrs. Angulo just looked at the wall and cried,” said Dye.

Other work performed included installing grab bars in strategic places to enable Angulo to walk safely, repairing faucets and windows and installing handles on the windows to make them easier to open.

Since the volunteers started the repairs early each morning, much of the work was performed while Angulo was sleeping. “When she woke up the next morning, she didn’t believe it was real,” noted her daughter, Susi Angulo. “It was so much so quick . . . the whole house was transformed.”

One of Angulo’s seven children, Susi works at a local Starbucks and moved in with her mother after her father passed away. She and her teenaged daughter share the small Campbell home with Angulo. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do [the repairs] otherwise. We are very grateful.”

For more information, contact Beverly Jackson, executive director, Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley at (408) 578-9519 or visit the Web site at www.rebuildingtogether-sv.org.