My First Beautiful Day, Part 2

As the morning progresses, cell phones ring at an increasing pace. Project managers have questions needing answers and miscommunication has to be straightened out. Of the 150 dumpsters Beautiful Day has been allocated on this bright Saturday morning, none have been delivered to Camp Coyote. The ability to pick up and drop off these massive containers has been stretched to it's very limit by the efforts of Beautiful Day's volunteers and, unfortunately, one site is still waiting for its receptacle to arrive. Though disappointed, we can't help but be amazed. Just over halfway through the morning and Beautiful Day is well ahead of schedule in terms of clean-up.

Our first stop in Alviso is on Michigan Avenue. Having passed several houses being worked on, we've arrived at one of the most in need of drastic repair. The overall scope of the work organized by Jim Buchanan and Bob Froese comes into focus -- 41 homes are being cared for as if they are the only one being worked on. Excitement pulses through the community and it's difficult not to be caught up in it. (I am so overjoyed, I nearly shake Bob silly when I first see him.) As with all the sites we visit throughout the day, the evidence of impactful change has begun taking shape. For the first time, after months of preparation, I am witnessing what committed people can do for a community.

We stop at handful of other sites on our way to lunch, walking past a tray of homemade muffins and fruit punch placed at the end of a driveway with a large, hand-written sign: "ALVISO WELCOMES ALL VOLUNTEERS."

This becomes evident as I talk with residents watching a fresh coat of paint being applied to their home. Despite all they see, disbelief still shows up in their expressions. It's as if, after all the town has been through since the flood in 1983, they still can't help but ask, "Is this really happening?"

In truth, I find myself feeling the exact same way.

After a tremendous lunch at Maria Elena's, we head out to check on several other projects. It becomes clear the volunteers are more than willing to complete whatever is presented to them. Concerns regarding the number of workers have been somewhat alleviated, as twelve-hour projects have been finished in a morning by industrious teams at some locations. The issue now is reallocating people to maintain the level of service provided and ensure tasks are done right.

Those of us in the Command Vehicle are on the way to Buchser Middle School as the sun crosses the mid-afternoon sky. The pace of chatter has slowed significantly since the morning rush. Eight hours running from site to site has caught up with us all as we head to WestGate Church to split into two cars. (Courtney Cordero, who had been driving us around in her aunt's Ford Expedition, had to get ready for her graduation party.)

At 3:15, we make it to Buchser as the project is winding down. The principal, who gamely rose to join in the work on his day off, expresses his gratitude and wonder at the Beautiful Day volunteers' efforts to spruce up the campus. It's subtle and hard for me to appreciate because I've only seen the school under cover of darkness, but hand rails and benches gleam with a fresh coat of paint. Road squares are covered in a diagonal pattern of black and red, the school colors. Nearby, powerwashed surfaces glisten in the afternoon sun. One can only wonder what the students will think the following Monday morning.

It's almost 4:00pm and the Saturday shifts are coming to a close. With time for one more stop, we pile into the cars and point toward Julian Street to visit the InnVision Revision project. Having been by on Friday morning, I am eager to see the change. I had passed through around the lunch hour, dropping off some supplies and taking stock of the massive amount of demolition being done in the pantry. While all the destruction went on, some volunteers filled the courtyard with boxes of food while others sorted through them to determine what could be kept. Plainly, it was a mess.

A mere twenty-eight hours later, it is a work of art.

New shelves are being filled in the pantry as dishes are being washed in the kitchen. Other than some ladders for the artists painting a mural on the wall and a freezer awaiting its turn to be moved into place, the now-empty courtyard is bathed in sunshine instead of covered in stacks of canned vegetables. Looking in on the refurbished dormitories and shiny new tile on the office floor, I agree with the CEO of InnVision: news stations ought to have been there to bear witness to the "extreme makeover."

I'm left with an overflowing heart as I head home. As the clock turns over 5:00pm, those projects with work to do on Sunday are reaching stopping points as those finished on Saturday wrap up. I feel exhausted, yet unspeakably happy as I walk through the door, greeted by my bouncing niece, whom I will be babysitting for the evening.

"She'll probably fall asleep early," my sister-in-law says during her last-minute instructions.

That makes two of us, I think.

Three hours later, as I listen to the characteristic rustling of a sleeping child echo through the baby monitor, I chuckle. I've managed to find the juice to sift through photos and Facebook posts to see what went on at the Room Refresh sites, marveling at the personal touches produced by the smallest Beautiful Day volunteer teams for the most intimate of projects: sprucing up the bedrooms and kitchens for victims of elder abuse.

I am struck by the love shown in every last detail, from clean streets to brightened houses. Worn out and ready to sleep, I see more pictures have been posted and smile.

Well, maybe I can stay up a bit longer.

My First Beautiful Day Experience, Part 1

A familiar sound rouses me from a peaceful slumber.

My one-year-old niece is whimpering across the room, half-awake and frustrated at having burrowed herself into the corner of her crib while sleepcrawling. This happens once or twice a night, so I instinctively reach for my iPhone and check the time, careful to minimize the bright light in the darkness.

It's 5:50am on Saturday, May 21st. For many, it's officially Beautiful Day, but not me. I'd been up past midnight, unable to shut down after an "almost-too-fun-to-be-legal" time at the SuperDance for SuperHeroes.

My alarm is set to go off in a half-hour. I tiptoe to my niece's bedside and gently slide her into the middle of the mattress, place the pacifier back in her mouth and return to bed. This has become rare as she's grown but it's still somewhat routine, just common enough for me to know it works every time.

Except this one.

As I pull the covers on and lay my head on the pillow, she sits up and begins talking to me. She's fully awake two hours before normal and showing no signs of returning to dreamland. I pick her up and whisper to her, desperately pulling all the tricks from my uncle bag in the hopes my brother and sister-in-law will be able to keep sleeping after I leave to meet the Beautiful Day leadership team for breakfast.

My niece is determined to stay awake. The extra thirty minutes of sleep I hoped for disappears quickly. Finally, at 6:20, I give up and lay her back down. I've got barely enough time to get dressed and get on the road. I stop and open my laptop to post one last reminder on Facebook about the little ways to help spread the word about our community service efforts using social media.

The phone rings -- it's Jon Talbert. "Hey, have you left yet?"

"Nope. Will be in a minute."

"Can I get a ride?"

It's 6:26am and all I can think about is the proclamation the last one to arrive for breakfast at Holder's on Saratoga Avenue had to buy Starbucks at the morning break. I hop in a borrowed car and speed over to the Talbert residence, arriving fifteen minutes later to find the leader of Beautiful Day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"I woke up at five. I was wide awake. Couldn't get back to sleep." I nod in agreement, though I'd been up for entirely different reasons.

The excitement of the day has energized both of us. As we pull onto Highway 85, the discussion pinballs between events we've seen -- InnVision and the SuperDance -- and the route for the Beautiful Day Command Vehicle to maximize our visits to ongoing projects.

It's almost 7:00am when we join up with the rest of the team. Amazingly, it's only been a few hours since we parted and yet it seems like days. We laugh over breakfast, fueling up for a full day criss-crossing San Jose, intent on visiting as many sites as possible to witness the culmination of months of planning.

An hour later, we pile out of a borrowed Ford Expedition at Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church. We are greeted by some two dozen volunteers being briefed about the locations they'll be working in as part of the Clean Mile project. Councilman Pete Constant has shown up to offer his support as the groups load up with rakes and trash bags before breaking out into neighborhoods. I smile to myself, taking a moment to marinate in the realization this is the first trickle in a flood of compassion spreading throughout the city.

Next, we make a short trip to Washington Elementary, passing volunteers pulling weeds and picking up garbage. As I walk up to the school parking lot at the intersection of Oak and State Streets, I am moving purposefully alongside a man in a hurry. He has a question: "Can we clear city property?"

A woman who lives nearby has bushes in her front yard and "bad people throw bad things into them" to avoid the police. Being that she's alone, she wants to eliminate any possibility of her home becoming a hot spot in this troubled neighborhood. The answer is simple:

"Take them out." Multiple city officials trust the judgment of Beautiful Day volunteers and, if an issue arises, they are comfortable someone in a "Let it Shine" shirt would make a decision to benefit residents and action can be taken quickly. To cement this fact, I listen as Khoa Nguyen (pronounced "KWAH"), Mayor Chuck Reed's policy advisor, describes meeting with the US Attorney General the day before -- and mentioning Beautiful Day.

I shake my head. This is bigger than I thought.

As we load up again and move towards Camp Coyote. As we roll towards the first of two sites, our driver sheepishly reveals her recent discovery it's a homeless encampment. Knowing the Awakening Alviso project would have a sports camp for local children, she assumed this was the same. Laughter fills the SUV.

Twenty minutes later, reality has set in. We stride along the trails, bumping into a group from Breath of Life Ministries. This handful of people walks through the various locations along Coyote Creek every Saturday, building relationships with the homeless and delivering necessities. We talk for a few moments and exchange information. Kerry is the kind of person we must connect with Housing 1000, a project designed to get the most vulnerable of Santa Clara County's 7,000 homeless into permanent housing within the next two years.

This is my second trip to the area and the scene is vastly different than the first. Law enforcement came through just a week ago. I am stunned as Harry from County Health Services and Donovan, a resident, describe the process. Sadness creeps in as I look on the remains of a Buddhist shrine one resident had erected. The touches I remember from the month before, the carpet and seating -- those things that made it home -- have been swept away. Lives taken for granted, but meaningful nonetheless, have been disrupted.

It feels unfair to leave such squalor for the air-conditioned comfort of the Command Vehicle, but there is still much to see. Having made it to three projects by 10:30am, we are now pointed towards the largest of them all -- Alviso.

Four Questions with...Jason Eichacker

How did you get connected with Beautiful Day?
About a month after I moved to California and began attending WestGate, I met Jon Talbert. We had lunch a few weeks later and he floated the idea of being a project manager, which I immediately agreed to. Eventually, Joanne Glen saw I'd filled in the member skills survey as a writer and tapped me to come on board for blogging and social media.

What does your role entail?
I'm here to tell stories, mostly. I'm a central point for content production on the various materials we use to educate people about Beautiful Day. This mostly means a lot of emails between Joanne and I, communication with Jon about tweets and retweets and, lastly, helping fellow members of the Core Team understand how Facebook and Twitter work.

Tell us what it's like being a part of the Core Team.
It's awesome. I am incredibly grateful to have been invited to join them, they're like a second Life Group for me. The dynamic is fantastic in meetings, we have fun and get stuff accomplished. It's miraculous how tight we've become in such a short time. I thank God for them every day.

Going forward, what would you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
The unique appeal of Beautiful Day, what drew me in, is its all-encompassing nature. People and organizations from varied backgrounds take part: we have government agencies, local companies and faith communities pooling people and resources for the betterment of San Jose. Christ's message -- and the change it has created -- exemplifies how radical inclusiveness can shift paradigms in cultures of all kinds. The mission, the aggressive compassion we take to the streets, is infectious.

This is the future I see:

City leaders collaborate extensively with community leaders. High schoolers work alongside old schoolers. Large corporations become as involved as small businesses. Silicon Valley invests in itself and improves exponentially -- not just for a weekend or a month or a year, but decades. People notice. Events happen all over the country and projects go on without ceasing. It turns into a lifestyle, a way for handfuls of committed people to be the catalyst for positive outcomes in others' lives and then, suddenly, every day is a Beautiful Day.

Jason Eichacker writes for Beautiful Day and is the proud uncle of two beautiful nieces. He moved to California from Kansas eight months ago, walked into his home church the following Sunday and has since become quite happy to have Winter without snow. He loves music, reads all the time and craves the smell of ocean air. For his habit of running to the location of Core Team meetings, he has been dubbed the Duke of Gump.

Four Questions with...Marissa Moran

How did you get connected with Beautiful Day?
I had been at Westgate about 6 months or so in 2009, and after completing Explore/Discovery I was given the opportunity to express a specific area of interest I'd like to volunteer in. I checked "compassion ministry" and then followed up with an email. Shortly after that I found myself meeting with Jon Talbert and Joanne Glen about coming on board as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Community at Large projects! Two-and-a-half years later, I'm still here.

What does your role entail?
I make sure Westgate peeps get hooked up with volunteering for the projects they want and fit their skill set and that our Project Manager's have enough volunteers to fulfill their project's needs! This entails lots and lots of communication and emailing, as well as spreadsheet/data reviewing!

Tell us what it's like being a part of the Core Team.
It feels like a family! We genuinely enjoy our weekly gatherings, to not only discuss the ups and downs of the week, and whats going on in our lives, but to be encouraging and uplifting and to share a common purpose. It's pretty awesome to be part of a weekly like-minded group of people, who just want to serve Jesus by serving others. We all have our individual strengths we bring to the table and seeing how we all work together -- and how we mesh and just genuinely enjoy each other's company -- is pretty cool.

Going forward, what you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
More and more people coming to know Christ because of the love and compassion that they experienced and/or witnessed. I would love to see compassion and service become even more infectious in our city, with people helping people and making real long-term connections with those they see in need.

Marissa Moran is the Volunteer Coordinator for Beautiful Day. Originally from North Little Rock, Arkansas, she is a fan of '80s movies like The Goonies and Sixteen Candles. She's also jealous Wendy Laugesen has New Kids on the Block tickets.

Four Questions with...Joanne Glen

How did you get connected with Beautiful Day?
My second time to WestGate in the bulletin I read about my dream job. Working as an assistant in the Compassion department here at WestGate. I've always have had a heart to get people to go out and volunteer, whether locally or overseas.
My second week on the job in 2007 was my first Beautiful Day experience. I sat back and watched as I saw WestGate invade the community around them with Christ's Love. At that point I knew I was in the right place.

What does your role entail?
A bit of everything. My role is to work alongside Jon Talbert, keep an overview of everything and know the details of everything to connect the pieces that need to be connected.

Tell us what it's like being a part of the Core Team.
Since joining Beautiful Day, being part of the Core Team has always been a highlight of mine each year with each team. Our Core Teams meet for nearly 10 months of the year, so we get to know each other pretty well.

Going forward, what you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
I'd love to see WestGate people going out throughout the year and/or connecting with one of our projects and continuing to serve there.

Joanne Glen is the Compassion Assistant to Jon Talbert at WestGate Church. Though a native of Half Moon Bay, California, she has lived "in a treehouse in Latvia, a castle in Germany and on a ship in England." She is currently fixated on the music of Mumford and Sons (which, to be fair, is awesome) and is a baroness of the von Glen line from Scotland.

Share Beautiful Day with Your Friends!

Much has been made in recent months of the role social media has played in the spread of information. In a matter of seconds, news about the latest natural disaster or civilian uprising reaches every corner of the globe. It's easy to see we live in a TGiF world: Twitter, Google, iPhone and Facebook are a major part of our culture.

This is especially true at WestGate Church, where employees from many of Silicon Valley's biggest companies attend every week and it's time to put that tech savvy to use.

The idea of turning "church service" into an outward expression of love for our community is gaining momentum and you can help it pick up speed! Help spread the Beautiful Day compassion revolution as you participate -- before, during and after.

Here's what to do:

Facebook
Log in and "Like" Beautiful Day, then tag it in mobile photos and post updates on the wall while you're working. At the end of the day, take a minute to talk about what you did in a status update and include Beautiful Day (at your computer, begin typing @Beautiful Day and a list will appear).

Twitter
Follow the @Beautiful_Day account and those of leadership team members @JonTalbert, @JasonEichacker and @WendyLCMP, then tweet your story and retweet others as often as you like.

To simplify the process, use one or more of the hash tags below so others can find you, 140 characters at a time. (Remember to include them if you use a picture uploader like TwitPic or Instagram, too!)

#AwakenAlviso
#BuchserBeauty
#CampCoyote
#CleanMile
#LifeSupport
#ReInnVision
#RoomRefresh
#SuperDance
#CelebrateBD
#SanJose

An example might look like this: "I'm so excited to see how Patty likes her #RoomRefresh from @Beautiful_Day #SanJose!" or "Became a member of the 5 gallon club during #LifeSupport for @Beautiful_Day #SanJose! (Not all at once.)"

Four Question with...Ken Watkins

How were you convinced to join Beautiful Day?
Jon Talbert called me up and said, "Here, eat this apple. You'll like it."

What projects do you oversee?
I'm the Project Director for Camp Coyote (the homeless outreach project), Beautify Buchser (the school clean-up/beautification project) and Life Support (the blood drive). The key is getting great project managers and then staying out of their way.
I've been really fortunate to work with Kim Sherwood and Drew Frosee on Camp Coyote, Phil McCarthy on Beautify Buchser and Julie Simonin and Cris Otonari on Life Support. I do what I can to help them get organized, bring the right people with the right skills together, voice needs, concerns and anything else that needs to be addressed with the Beautiful Day project team, but mostly just act as a dedicated focal point to which they can come for help on their projects.

Talk about being part of the Core Team.
Being on the Core Team has been one big, long lesson in faith. I work in the corporate world, where everything revolves around budgets, timelines, deliverables, etc. Beautiful Day has taught me, more than anything else in recent memory, to trust in God for our needs. It's also made me realize that His will (in this case His vision of Beautiful Day) might just be different from my vision of Beautiful Day. I kept saying "Listen God . . .", and he kept saying, "No, you listen . . ."
I couldn't have asked for a better Core Team with which to have worked on Beautiful Day, their dedication has been inspiring and humbling.

What do you hope the effects of Beautiful Day are?
I've already witnessed how other churches throughout the community are realizing what a great example of loving God and loving our neighbors Beautiful Day can be. It would be great to see this spirit of "servanthood" continue to be core to the identity of Westgate, as well as every group believers in the South Bay and beyond.

When he's not thinking of new and inventive ways to make his wife Monica roll her eyes and shake her head, Ken Watkins spends most of his time working for the man (IBM) when he'd rather be riding his bike...or eating. "I can (and do) eat as much as people twice my size," he boasts. His favorite movie is Raiders of the Lost Ark and he used to enjoy the music of Jimmy Buffett, "but I've sung 'Margaritaville' one too many times."

Five Questions with...Monica Watkins

How did you get connected with Beautiful Day?
We received a call from Jon Talbert last May. Given the fact that we (my husband Ken and me) have a hard time saying, "No," plus the fact that we were vacationing, it was easy to say, "Sure...sign us up, we'll help!" In all honesty, Ken and I were Project Managers for the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital BD project two-plus years ago and were really blessed by the experience. We were excited when Jon asked us to be part of the BD Core Team -- not really knowing what that meant -- so we could again serve Beautiful Day, but at a whole new level (Literally!).

What projects do you oversee?
SuperDance for SuperHeroes; Room Refresh; InnVision Revision (sort of - Vicki Field gets most of the credit for InnVision).

What does your role entail?
I'm mostly coordinating with the different organizations (Young Life Capernaum, Protecting Our Elders, Santa Clara County Mental Health Department). I have learned a lot about red tape during this experience!
Plus, I'm in regular contact with all my awesome project managers -- Holly Holland, Lori Dabak, Fran and Joel Linscott, Mike and Jehn Buchanan and Kirk Fayard -- who are leading each of the three projects. I help them understand what they need to do, who they need to contact and assist in getting them what they need, when they need it.

Tell us what it's like being a part of the Core Team.
So much fun! Our first monthly meeting was last September. Starting in January, we began meeting on a weekly basis. We always meet at someones home and share a meal together - it gives us time to unwind from our "day jobs." There's always lots of laughter (a "given" with Jon Talbert in the room).
Throughout the months, we've shared ideas with each other. We've supported and encouraged each other. We've bonded in a way that I wasn't expecting. The people on this team are truly amazing -- such a blessing in so many ways.

Going forward, what you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
I would love to see more people from our community embrace our Six40 discipleship by "loving our neighbor" -- regardless if they are part of Westgate, a believer or non-believer. Beautiful Day is already contagious. My hope is that Beautiful Day will grow exponentially in the coming years as we continue to share God's love.

Monica Watkins is a Bay Area transplant from a town halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi called Victoria, Texas. A confessed neat freak, she breaks her favorite musicians down by category, such as "Favorite Band That Goes by an Acronym" (Dave Matthews Band/DMB) and "Favorite British Artist" (David Gray). A fan of Tex-Mex food, she's the better looking half of a married couple affectionately known as "MoniKen."

Four Questions with...Wendy Laugesen

Who connected you with Beautiful Day?
My dear friend Marissa Moran introduced me to Joanne Glen. Apparently, Joanne already had me on her radar as an event planner, and as soon as I was Six40 disciple and baptized, I was recruited.

What project do you head up?
I oversee the Beautiful Day Celebration at the end of our amazing week. I get to help all the staff, volunteers and some recipients celebrate the amazing work God will do for Beautiful Day week. My role entails managing a team of event planners, reaching out to vendors for donations, managing our budget and working with the Beautiful Day Core Team weekly to make this Beautiful Day the best yet!

How do you feel about being a part of the Core Team?
Words can't describe how highly I think of this team. Commiting one night a week on top of everything else they all do, including raising families, is above and beyond. They take Beautiful Day seriously and want to see it succeed and have a great impact on our valley. On top of them being great at their project direction, they are also a WHOLE lot of fun.

Going forward, what you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
More community and church involvement. I'd like to see the 2012 Beautiful Day Week double the number of churches and businesses invovled in the planning. I'd love to see a positive impact on the lives of those we help and hope that God SHINES through each of us as we go out into the community in the next week.

Wendy Laugesen grew up in Los Gatos and went to high school in Campbell, not far from WestGate Church. She loves a good steak and, conversely, a good salad. ("NO weeds.") Her diverse music interest tends to focus on tunes from the '80s, though she has a soft spot for Neil Diamond, the greatest singer/songwriter of this or any generation.

Three Questions for...Steve Clifford

You recently delivered a message to the congregation about being sent by God to do His work in the world. How does Beautiful Day fit in with that?
Well, it's not the only way and doesn't completely fulfill it, but it is one of the primary expressions of this belief that says, "We ought to get out into the city and it ought to matter to people that don't go here know we're here." We hope that at least 1500 people will go out and next weekend and show it.

Services are cancelled, but you'll still be working Beautiful Day weekend. Tell us which project you're involved in.
I'm going to be on the Camp Coyote project with my Boot Camp group of men. There's going to be at least 15 of us serving. I'll probably show up at several more, probably doing the blood drive, too.

Going forward, what you like to see happen in our community as a result of Beautiful Day?
Ultimately what I want to see is people introduced to the hope and love of God through Jesus Christ, but that's not really our part. Our part is to be witnesses of that and allow God to change their hearts. Like I said over the weekend, when we are sent we preach. People will hear, some will believe, be called and be saved.

Steve Clifford is the Lead Pastor at WestGate Church, where he shares his quirks and the saintly patience of his wife, Dana, as he teaches the gospel each week. Despite all outward appearances, he was not born in Texas. (His family moved there when he was three months old.) His favorite movie is The Quiet Man with John Wayne and, though he calls Mexican food his favorite, he admitted he just "wanted to say 'cooked,' because I like it all."

Five Questions with...Holly Holland

How did you get involved with Beautiful Day?
Well, this is my first experience with Beautiful Day. My hubby Cody and I just started coming to WestGate a few months ago when Beautiful Day was beginning to get advertised. We're both so ready to meet people and get into a community this seemed like a perfect fit!

Tell us about your project.
I'm working with Monica Watkins on Room Refresh and doing home makeovers for special seniors in the area that have problems within the home they are unable to tend to for whatever reason.
I'm working on a little government housing project where we're completely redesigning a 300-square-foot house. We've gotten permission from the property managers to go in and do anything we wish. We've met with our special senior, Patty, and we're working on achieving her wish list as well.

What attracted you to Room Refresh?
This project in particular strikes a chord because I'm an Interior Design Student. I love blessing people to begin with, but if I'm able to help with my creative design, even better!

You got a team together pretty quick. Talk about them.
There are two designers, a general contractor for hanging shelves and building some furniture as well as a few extra pairs of hands for cleaning and organizing to pull it all together!

If you could look into the future, what is the ideal result of your project?
Patty will end up with a whole new living space! These 300 square feet are all she has and some of the furnishings belong to the government, so ideally we're hoping to set her up with everything of her own: basics like a bed, mattress, bookshelves, microwave, and some bonus things like photo frames, trash cans, organizational storage bins and some new linens in her favorite color.

Holly Holland is a stay-at-home mom of a six-month-old doberman puppy. She calls both Bend, Oregon and Dallas, Texas home, though she's lived in four countries. She refuses to name a favorite food, but admits she does "love a good bean burrito and coming in close for a tie would have to be sushi."

Three Answers from...Lori Dabak

What drew you to Beautiful Day?
I have heart to serve those who are in need and love to use the gifts that God has given me to bless others. It's so true, if you work in the area that you love, you will never work another day in your life.

Talk about your Room Refresh project.
We will be serving an elderly woman by cleaning and refreshing her home with some aesthetic projects and hopefully providing some new storage that will be easy for her to reach.

What are some goals you have in mind?
We would like to provide her with a rolling storage cabinet and a small table with 2 chairs for dining. I will be serving with my Life Group in this project. I hope to see our group grow closer together and enjoy blessing someone with the love of Jesus.

Lori Dabak is a self-employed interior decorator in San Jose, where she lives with her husband Alex. They will soon welcome their first child, whom they will certainly raise to love southern-style barbecue as much as they do.

Five Questions with...Drew Froese

What attracts you to Beautiful Day?
The idea of being the church. I love the fact that WestGate doesn’t just talk about serving others and showing Christ’s love through service, they follow it up by placing something on the schedule that says, "This is not just something we talk about, this is something we live.”

Which project are you a part of?
We will be cleaning up a homeless encampment, blessing the homeless with some necessities as well as giving them something extra special as we celebrate their birthdays. It’s a great opportunity to both provide for needs and express our love by giving them a party they probably don’t often experience.

What about Camp Coyote, in particular, draws you in?
My wife and I started serving the homeless breakfast on Christmas Day two years ago and have found it such a joy to serve those in need. When this opportunity came along to continue to serve the homeless, I joined.

Anything special you're looking for in terms of volunteers?
We are looking for high school age and above to help clean up the encampment, distribute food and serve in the celebration for the homeless, including people willing to barbecue.

Look into your crystal ball and talk about your ideal outcomes
Not only to bless the people of this encampment now, but to work with the city and those who serve this population on a regular basis and connect people to serving the homeless continually.

Drew Froese leads the Junior High Ministry at WestGate Church. He grew up in San Jose and is a big fan of pizza. He and his wife Amy recently welcomed their second daughter, meaning he's a fan of sleep and boy-proof security systems, too.

Five Questions with...Joel and Fran Linscott

What drew you to Beautiful Day?
Beautiful Day is a call to be Christ in our community. First-century Christians (and even into the Third or Fourth Century) were known in the Roman Empire as people who worshipped illegally, but also as the only people who cared for others (which was apparently a novel concept at the time). They were the only ones who would go into plague-stricken areas and care for the sick, etc., because they were being Christ to those people. Beautiful Day is our opportunity to do the same, to reach out to the people around us and help them for the sake of helping them, because it's what Jesus would do.

Tell us about your project.
Our project centers around doing home make-overs for senior citizens that are in low-income housing because they were victimized by elder-abuse. We're helping them spruce up the place, hang pictures, and find a way to fit their life and memories into the space that is provided for them.

What attracts you to this one in particular?
These people don't have the wherewithal to make their domocile a nice place to live, they don't have the strength to hang their pictures, they don't know how to make their home fit the memories they've collected over their lifetimes. I think of my own grandparents and how they have needed help just to do things that I take for granted everyday, and then I think of these senior citizens that are somebody's gramma and grampa, but they don't have anybody to help them to do these things.

What sorts of volunteers would you like or special needs do you have?
We just need a few people, maybe 3-5, that have an eye for decorating, a mind for innovating, and a heart for the elderly.

If you could look into the future, what is the ideal result of your project?
We would love to see the lady who we are helping be comfortable in her home, able to display all her memories, and feeling blessed and loved.

Joel and Fran Linscott are the husband-wife team leading a Beautiful Day Room Refresh. They enjoy good ethnic food and mind-bending movies like Johnny Mnemonic and Inception. During this year's event, they will also set the record for greatest height disparity between project co-leaders.

Four Answers from...Bob Froese

What drew you to Beautiful Day?
I had participated in Beautiful Day projects in the past and have long been stirred by getting into the community to show Christ's love to others and let our deeds preceed our words.

I had been retired for about a year. There was plenty on my plate, but I felt the need to have a bit more focus for a time. I have an interest in continued work and had applied for a job that I really wanted to do. It offered challenges in an area I really wanted to pursue. At the same time, I was praying that God would give me peace about pursuing a new career or make it clear that He had something else for me to do. I even was praying that if I was to give up on the job at this time, that the "something else" come from WestGate.

Then Jon Talbert approached me about Beautiful Day in the same week I was contacted for an interview for the job -- and this was to be the most extensive Beautiful Day project to date. My goodness it was intimidating! I prayed that God would give direction, and felt immediately that this was bigger than one person could handle. So confirmation would come from a spirit of peace and knowing that Jim Buchanan would say, "Yes," as well -- this even though we had never worked together before and only had passing contact previously. About a week and a half later I found out Jim had agreed to be a part of the leadership and I had also determined that I couldn't deny that God had answered in a specific way. So I knew my choice was either to obey or knowingly disobey His call. I called the HR person and cancelled the interview. I haven't regretted it at all. Even though there have been a number of challenges, this has been an amazing experience!

Tell us about Alviso and what got you interested in helping out.
Alviso has an amazing and colorful history. I first knew it as a place where a friend had a boat docked. Then I knew it because of the floods of 1983. The community has often been viewed as a bit renegade. When I was told we where going to "makeover Alviso" my thought was "Yeah, right!" Before I said "Yes" to the project I drove through town as I prayed. All I can say is that my heart was turned toward showing love and compassion to this community. Besides seeing places that needed help, my overwhelming feeling immediately after driving through the town was that there was only one small Catholic church right there inside the town, and my heart ached for the people to know the love of Christ.

What sorts of volunteers would you like to have?
We need all sorts of skills, but ONE HEART to serve! If the heart is right, then people's eyes will be open to whatever their hands can do to show love.

What is the ideal result of your project?
WOW! The ideal result? That the residents of Alviso and those passing through would SEE that Jesus Christ came to Alviso in the form of a mishmash of people who didn't come just to do a good deed, but came to show the people His love in a practical way.

Bob Froese is retired, both from the San Jose Police Department and his DJing career during college. He and his wife, Sheila, have three adult sons and a teenage daughter, as well as an expanding collection of grandchildren (the third and fourth are on the way). He has been known to "play a lot of golf. Understand, I don't play golf often. When I play, I play it A LOT!"

Three Questions for...Julie Simonin

How did you first get connected with Beautiful Day?
I started doing Beautiful Day about four years ago when Vicki Field asked me to be in charge of the Blood Drive. I felt honored and challenged with this project. Challenged because I'd never given blood before and I pass out when I get shots. I wasn't sure this was right for me, but I knew God would help me along the way. I needed to try something different and this was definitely a stretch for me.

Talk about what it's like to help with such a "stretch."
Blood Drive has been awesome. The people from Blood Bank of the Redwoods are awesome to work with.

A blood drive has to have donors, obviously, but what are your needs in terms of volunteers?
We need people who like to bake and/or cook, as well as volunteers who don't mind talking to donors when they are recovering in the cantina.

Julie Simonin is Co-Chair of the Beautiful Day "Life Support" Blood Drive and a ten-year participant in the Campbell Relay for Life. A devoted wife and mother, she spends at least part of her free time at Chicks N Flicks with other movie lovin' women.

Three Answers from...Kristy Espinoza

Why did you get involved in Beautiful Day?
The reason that I am in beautiful day is because I love to help people. I first started out by walking in AIDS walk with WestGate church, but that wasn't enough for me. Last year someone approached me and asked if I would lead a group in District Five, which is East San Jose. I agreed and was very happy with my decision, we had a great time going out in the neighborhood and helping people clean their yards and do some minor home repairs. This year, I am the project manager in District Five, too.

What are your needs in terms of team members?
For my project I am looking for some volunteers that don't mind getting their hands dirty and who love to serve others. I could really use people who have handyman skills. I could also use people who want to stay clean and don't mind flipping burgers or turning some hot dogs. I have lots of spaces to plug anyone in since I have a two-day project. My project is good for families with children seven years and older.

What would you like to see happen after Beautiful Day 2011?
If I could look into the future my ideal result for the project would be that the people we helped can see that we really cared about them and that we are not doing this just because it is a community project. Another thing would be that more people would come to know Jesus because we showed them love through our actions.

Kristy Espinoza and her husband, Jorge, have lived in San Jose for seven years. She is a part-time coordinator for the elementary school ministry at WestGate Church and full-time mom to Makenzie (7), Stephanie (4) and a "cute Pekingese dog named Buttercup."

Five Questions with...Kim Sherwood

What drew you to Beautiful Day?
I liked the idea of getting the whole church out into the community to help those in need.

Tell us about your project.
Camp Coyote is a project to love the homeless community. We will be supplying hygiene/care packages, cleaning up a homeless encampment, providing a BBQ lunch and having a birthday celebration for the residents in the camp.

What attracts you to this one in particular?
My heart has always been tender for the homeless community. I remember when I was very young, I rode along with my mom and grandma one morning to pick up a bunch of pies for Thanksgiving. After our car was loaded with the pies, I remember driving past a homeless man and making my mom stop the car so we could give him one of our pies.
When I see a homeless person, my thoughts are not so much about why they're homeless or how they got there, but just on the fact that in front of me is someone who needs help -- and it breaks my heart every time. God blessed me with this abundant life and I want to use it to bless others.

What sorts of volunteers would you like or special needs do you have?
Any volunteer with compassion to help the less fortunate, willing to spend time with them and listen or to bring a smile or joy to a homeless person's day is needed. No special skills necessary!

If you could look into the future, what is the ideal result of your project?
I would love to see this Beautiful Day project turn into a long-term commitment where churches everywhere in the Bay Area "adopt" homeless encampments and not only continue what WestGate will be doing on this project, but team up with the County and City to help each homeless individual get their life back on track. This may include mentoring, helping an individual apply for basic things like an identification card or a job, or how to cook and do laundry.
Even if the individual is not ready to go down this road and chooses to stay homeless, I would love to see more churches be a part of the homeless community on a consistent basis, getting to know the people that live in the encampments and showing them that there is still hope through Christ and a God who still loves them so.

Kim Sherwood is a co-leader of the Camp Coyote project for Beautiful Day 2011. She has two children (and one on the way) with her husband Kent, who dutifully picks up Sour Patch Kids whenever she craves them.

Four Answers from...Jim Buchanan

What drew you to Beautiful Day?
Actually it was Joanne Glen who asked me and Bob Froese to take on Alviso Beautiful Day. When we walked through Alviso and I saw the level of need, I was hooked. Up until then, I still only had memories of 1983 when it was under 8 to 10 feet of flood water. Much has changed over the years but much still needs to occur. Alviso is a community in need.

Tell us more about the project.
Alviso Beautiful Day or ABD as it is referred to, is the beautification of the historical town of Alviso. It involves everything from "mow, blow and go" to masonry work, painting, siding repair, debris removal, installing ADA access ramps, roof repair, window repair, fence repair, curb address painting, mural
refurbishing, the demolition of a 1983 flood-ravaged structure and a community fiesta. ABD is a partnership between WestGate, Jubilee Christian Center, Holy Spirit Church and Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish.

What sorts of volunteers would you like or special needs do you have?
WE NEED A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS, TOOLS AND MATERIALS! We have over 40 sites that need attention, so we're looking for a wide range of items, things like gallons of paint and wheelbarrows -- even a stove, if possible.
For volunteers, we need everything from weekend warriors to skilled carpenters, masons, plasterers, painters and, of course, anyone who can lift, rake, sweep, mow, weed wack, paint, pound a nail, etc. Enthusiasm and a willingness to serve are two strong traits!

If you could look into the future, what is the ideal result of your project?
What do I hope for? One thing: that the actions of all involved in ABD will glorify God!

Jim Buchanan is a native of the Bay Area and retired law enforcement administrator. He and his wife Karen have three adult children. His choice of music drifts between country, classical and old school rock. He is Co-Lead of the Alviso Beautiful Day project with Bob Froese and is always willing to have sushi for dinner.

Five Questions with...Jon Talbert

Tell us briefly how Beautiful Day began.
Beautiful Day started out as an idea. We felt that if we lived and loved like Jesus we could have a huge impact on the surrounding community. We began with simple projects that would reconnect us with local schools…addressing whatever needs they had. It grew from that to a creative collaborative of compassion and service ideas that spread across the county and, eventually, across the country.

Beautiful Day brings together people from all walks of life with a unique focus on compassion, why do you think that is?
It's crazy how compassion brings people together. Serving those in need unifies people in ways we would never dream possible. From different faith denominations to opposing political parties, to people with a wide range of values that would otherwise divide, we find people coming together. I believe that it's because all mankind has the DNA of compassion inside of them. You can be from different countries, faith groups, political parties, or economic backgrounds. Whatever the case may be, when you see someone in need, most people respond with compassion because we are all made in the Image of God and because God is compassionate, we therefore are intuitively compassionate.

What's one of your favorite memories?
I have so many memories of Beautiful Day it's hard to name just one, but I do have fond memories of watching 5th graders who recycled aluminum cans for 6 months purchase a brand new washer and dryer for the HIV/AIDS community center and drop it off to the shock of the clinic. They were stunned that 5th graders would do such a thing. People just froze and watched 5th graders struggle to get these newly acquired appliances through the door of the facility. Tears welled up in the clients eyes as they heard the story of 5th grade-level compassion heroics. It's a sweet memory.

As the big event approaches, tell us what has you excited this year.
2011 is going to be a big year. I say that every year, but something about this one is different. It has huge risk and danger…which is the way I like it. We have tackled some of the largest projects that require "compassion sweat" like we’ve never seen. We are taking on the hotspots that the city has identified and asked for help, we’ve partnered with the Catholic church and with new faith communities that want to work with us. And, we’re trying new projects that are just a bit out there in terms of creativity. My prayer is that Beautiful Day and our expression of who Jesus is in all of us, hits the South Bay like we’ve never seen before.

What's your vision for the future as Beautiful Day continues to grow?
My vision is corporate and personal. Corporately we’d see faith communities tackled the hardest problems that the city cannot solve. We would work side by side with city officials, schools, and businesses to address the very real needs of the city and that other cities would take notice of faith communities expressing Christ's love in the city. On a personal note, my desire is that individuals would embrace the idea of Beautiful Day and be always looking for an opportunity to “love their neighbor.” You don’t have to wait for an event to do something heroic in someone's life, you just need to jump in and do something.

Jon Talbert is the Compassion Pastor at WestGate Church and leader of Beautiful Day. He loves listening to his kids sing and would be a happy man if you delivered him a medium-well Victoria filet and garlic mashed potatoes from Outback Steakhouse.

What is Beautiful Day?

What does it take to create change in Silicon Valley?

A Beautiful Day.

We are a growing group of government agencies, community organizations and people from all walks of life serve others by addressing all sorts of needs across Santa Clara County, California.

The needs are as varied as they are great and, for this reason, the list of partners now includes the City of San Jose, Moreland School District, Santa Clara School District, San Jose Police Department and InnVision, amongst others.

Since its inception in 2004, Beautiful Day has sought to invest in communities with simple, direct and unyielding kindness. Each project is an act of no-strings-attached service for those who are otherwise unable to help themselves.

Our goal is to aggressively spread compassion, to discard apathy in favor of activity and light fires of good will in the neighborhoods we work and live in.

This year, volunteers will renovate schools, repair homeless shelters, redecorate houses for the elderly and clean up blighted neighborhoods throughout the area. There will be a blood drive, a dance for special needs students and much more.

On top of all that, we are taking on our largest project to date, the restoration of Historic Alviso. The district suffered a massive flood in 1983 and has struggled to recover ever since.

Want to sign up? Want to donate? Visit our website for details about each project and make your decision. Your tax-deductible contribution will be distributed gratefully by WestGate Church.

Have a direct effect on our community.

Join us May 16-22, 2011.

Let’s make every day a Beautiful Day!