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.
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