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.