ANAHEIM : Volunteers to Help Paint Homes Today

Mary Fennema stood in her front yard and smiled Friday as a swarm of volunteers patched up her house.

Three men from the city’s Maintenance Department repaved her driveway. A code enforcement officer trimmed back her trees. A computer salesman repaired her windows. A contractor replaced some rotting boards. Overseeing the work was a police motorcycle officer. All were off duty, and no one was getting paid.

Today, Fennema and 43 other low-income senior citizens and disabled residents will have their homes painted for free as part of the third annual “Paint Your Heart Out Anaheim” day. More than 1,000 volunteers from churches, schools, private industry and city government are scheduled to take part. The event is funded by local businesses and a $25,000 federal grant.

“This is wonderful,” Fennema said as she watched her home of 22 years being put back into shape.

Fennema, who lives on a fixed income, said she had put off repairs on her home for years because of the cost. But after today, she says, her home will look good again, and she is grateful.

“Next year I am going to volunteer myself so I can help somebody else in need,” she said. “If people can take time for me, I can take time for other people. I may be old, but I can still sweep or something.”

It is such gratitude that has made Officer Ben Hittesdorf volunteer for the program since its inception. About mid-March every year he visits the homes that are to be painted and takes note of other minor problems that need fixing. He makes some of the repairs himself; other times he organizes a crew to do the work.

“I live here in Anaheim, I work here, I grew up here and I was born here,” said Hittesdorf, a three-year member of the police force. “So I want to give something back to the community. It’s fun to get out and work with these people for a cause.”

About 50 officers have volunteered to paint homes today, he said.

Among those working with him Friday was Louie Vecchione, the city’s street superintendent. He and two men from his department were repaving Fennema’s driveway, which was worn and cracked. They were using supplies and equipment donated by a local business. They, too, said they wanted to give something back to the community.

“We’re all longtime employees, and the city has been great to us,” Vecchione said.

Garden Grove contractor Elmer Jenkins neither lives nor works in Anaheim, but he volunteered, he said, “because it sounded like a real nice thing to do.”

“All of the people we work for are so grateful and so nice, so that makes it worthwhile,” Jenkins said. “Some of these people have lived in their homes 15, 20 or 30 years and have never had it fixed up. I had one woman who had lived for more than 30 years in her home and had never had it painted. She was so happy, and I thought that was really nice.”