Even in Spring, It’s the Season of Giving : South-Central Chapter of Christmas in April Helps Restore the Dreams and Home of One Man

In the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, community organizations joined financial institutions and community-minded corporations to form a South-Central chapter of Christmas in April USA, the nonprofit national organization of volunteers that dedicates the last weekend in April to rehabilitating the homes of senior citizens and disabled and low-income residents. This year, the South-Central chapter refurbished 20 homes, two community centers and one high school.

Los Angeles native Nelson A. Daniel was among the 20 homeowners who had their Christmas wish granted early this year. Because of a serious heart condition and limited income, the 49-year-old Daniel, a former investigator for Lucky Markets now on disability, could not afford to make much-needed repairs to his home. Daniel explains how Christmas in April South-Central L.A. is improving his living conditions and making his home a comfortable, safe place to live. He was interviewed by Rutely Conde.

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I found out I was going to be a beneficiary of Christmas in April South-Central Los Angeles before Christmas last year.

I was referred to the program by a friend who had her home repaired two years ago. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see me become a designated beneficiary of the program.

The house has been in the family for many years now, but I took control of it about 10 years ago. I didn’t move into the house right away, though. I rented it out, but the people that lived there destroyed it. I had to make a few repairs before moving in just to make it livable. I put bars on the broken windows to make the house less accessible.

Facing eviction, the renters busted a hole in the bathtub and then let the water run. This destroyed the floor and the walls in the bathroom. I couldn’t afford to fix all of the damages, so I made minor repairs to make it tolerable.

I was very pleased to learn I was chosen by Christmas in April. I didn’t know it was coming. At the time I submitted my application, I was very sick, I was probably sicker than I had ever been in my life. Receiving the news from Christmas in April was like a shot of adrenaline in the arm; I was so pleased.

The house captain and chairman of the program came out to make an assessment of the house and told me what they would do to it. There were so many things wrong; there was graffiti and gang signs on the walls, busted windows, the kitchen was in complete disarray, the ceilings in all the rooms were deteriorating, the porch was about three inches lower on the left side . . . there were just so many things wrong.

I couldn’t afford to pay for the repairs and I couldn’t do it myself, given my health. I went to the doctor about two years ago because I had severe breathing difficulties, and they informed me that I had congestive heart failure and had already suffered a heart attack. I hadn’t even realized it. Since then, my life has completely changed.

My heart condition comes from a disease called sorcoidosis, which led to enlarged lymph nodes in my arteries that caused my heart to pump abnormally. The disease has also affected my lungs and my eyes. I was put on steroids to reduce the swelling of the lymph nodes, but if I’m off the medication to take other medicine, like antibiotics, for example, it causes me to go into congestive heart failure.

My son-in-law has helped me financially, but he has expenses and a family to take care of. Without the help of Christmas in April, all of the repairs in the house would not have been made. I have no intention of selling the house; I want it to remain in the family, with my children.

I was told that I was going to be surprised, but I am still in awe with the number of people that showed up to help out; there were about 40 volunteers. They replaced the entire porch. Initially they were only going to replace some of the boards, but when they pulled it apart, some of the wood was so deteriorated that they elected to rebuild the whole thing. That in itself shows the quality of the work they are involved in. The volunteers are an asset to the community--they make it happen.

I’m getting better and soon I’ll be back at work. I plan to become a volunteer and work with Christmas in April because I’m really impressed with the program. I want to give something back to it.

Christmas in April volunteers worked on Daniel’s house on April 29. By the time the repairs are completed in mid-May, they will total an estimated $25,000 in services and materials .