WPKND and World Changers Make a World of Difference for a Local Senior
By CJ Demchak
In April, WPKND was approached by Gateway Church in Old Brooklyn. Beth and Tony Loseto, Gateway’s husband and wife team, were slated to receive 300 volunteers July 7th-11th and they needed help identifying 30 homes around the city that needed repairs. Each year over the course of 6 weeks in Summer, World Changers sends volunteers ranging from 10 to 18 years old to communities across the country to engage in Construction Ministry. The volunteers are broken into teams of 12-15 people, led by a construction expert. Typically, World Changers projects in Cleveland are porch rebuilds, house painting, or wheelchair ramps; however, they can also tackle larger projects. In a conversation with Beth Loseto following the Cleveland volunteer week, she told us that World Changers’ next stop was Asheville, NC to help with the rebuilding efforts following the devastating flooding.
The housing department at WPKND was aware of the good work that Gateway Church is doing in Old Brooklyn. So, when Beth reached out because they were expanding their reach, we were happy to help! Don, the resident we reached out to for this project is an 82-year-old Vietnam veteran. His parents bought the house in the late 1930’s and he was raised there. In our conversations, Don reminisced about roller skating at the Puritas Springs Amusement Park and how he could hear organ music from the park through his bedroom window on Friday nights. After the war, he came home and started working with his brother delivering packages out of Cleveland-Hopkins Airport. He said, “It just made sense to move back in with my parents, because it was close to work and they were getting older.” Later Don met his wife, Betty, on his delivery route and they decided to stay in the home to care for his elderly mother. When I asked Don what colors he wanted to paint the house he said, “We’ll just keep it the same. My dad painted it originally and I’ve painted it a couple times over the years. why change it now?” We agreed. It’s about helping to restore a little charm to a home that’s watched over multiple generations of Don’s family.
Nothing is ever cut and dry when you’re dealing with home repair, and Don’s house was no exception. The corner had been taken over with ivy, and the front steps needed tuckpointing. Also, the siding and porch ceiling needed repairs. But before the volunteers arrived in July the vines had to come down so they could get to the surface. With the help of some local volunteers, and a helpful neighbor, we were able to pull down all the vines and cut back the overgrown shrubs. On the first day of the project 12 volunteers showed up at 8am, led by construction expert Rick – who is a mason from Indiana. But some of the volunteers came from as far as California and Utah. The youngest volunteer was about 10, and she was put to work chipping old mortar from the bricks before they were reset into the steps. It was surprising how quickly they were able to turn around the project, because it was no easy lift. On the final day, Rick called in other teams who had already finished over to Don’s house for a final push. Community Housing Solutions let us borrow extra ladders to get more people painting. Nevertheless, it was finished by 5:30 on Friday and we couldn’t have asked for a better result. So, a big thanks from WPKND and Don to Rick, Beth, Tony, and World Changers for all the hard work!