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In winter's grip, family can't await spring help
Christmas in April gears up January project
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by
REID SILVERMAN
Curt Jordan of Winters
Heating and Cooling applies a panel to a new furnace inside the home of Sara Walthall in Park Hall.
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Christmas in April came early this year for a Park Hall mother and her three children whose home was without a working furnace or running water.
Sara Walthall, 33, said this week from a temporary home that she is hoping to be able to move into her renovated trailer in the next few weeks once it is made livable.
Walthall had purchased the trailer last fall, and although it was in disrepair, she hoped to be moved before winter set in. That did not happen, but thanks to volunteers from Christmas in April-St. Mary's County, things are finally moving in the right direction.
"It would have taken a lot longer," Walthall said Monday. The public school bus driver has been unable to afford the repairs and she and her children, ages 13, 11 and 7, have been without a permanent home for some time.
"We decided to do it as early as possible because the family didn't have any heat and needed some major bathroom repairs," said Mary Ann Chasen, Christmas in April executive director for St. Mary's County.
Five St. Mary's College of Maryland students, along with three other community volunteers, spent the better part of a day early last week cleaning out underneath and around the trailer so the heating and plumbing workers could have the access they needed.
"They spent quite a bit of time under the trailer cleaning it out and getting it ready," Chasen said.
Last Friday, two heating technicians from Winters Heating and Cooling spent five or six hours installing a new furnace. The workers said there was about four feet of ductwork missing from underneath the trailer along with most of the copper piping from the oil tank.
Someone "had cut the oil line and stole the oil line," said Terry Johnson, install technician.
And when the technicians arrived they discovered the oil tank was beginning to rust out and was unsafe to use. Luckily, Johnson said, there was a spare that was in relatively good condition at the shop and Winters donated it to the home. Johnson estimated that running new oil lines and installing the new furnace would have cost between $3,000 and $4,000 for parts and labor.
"She needed it, for sure," Jordan said.
Christmas in April paid for the furnace, and the men's time was donated by Winters Heating and Cooling.
Curt Jordan, install technician, said he volunteered with a Christmas in April project several years ago with his father.
"I'll probably join in this year," he said.
Now that the heating is up and running, plumber Steve Arnold from A&K Plumbing is expected to repair water pipes and install a new toilet to the home.
"We're really lucky in this community. They don't have to do this," Chasen said of the construction crews and other businesses that donate labor to the organization.
Christmas in April is an affiliate of Rebuilding Together, a national volunteer organization that helps renovate homes of low-income, elderly and disabled individuals.
The St. Mary's group gets about 90 applications a year. Each site is visited and a committee works to whittle the list to about two dozen based on what the group can afford and where the most need lies.
There are tough decisions made, Chasen said, because just about every house could use the help. From there groups of volunteers are organized and assigned specific sites to work on a certain weekend in April. This year's event, the 20th annual, will be Saturday, April 24.
Some applications are beyond the scope of assistance available from Christmas in April and Chasen will recommend other agencies that may be able to help.
Because the work required on the trailer was more extensive than the typical one-day projects taken on by the organization and because of the urgency, Chasen organized volunteers to get the project done now.
She said two other major renovations were done earlier in the season.
St. Mary's College and many volunteers have been involved in the program since its inception, providing working hands to many families throughout the years.
Walthall said she is excited to have a new furnace and is looking forward to being able to live in her own home with her children.
"I'm happy," she said, counting the days until she can finally, once again, have a place to call home. Once that happens, she said, she would like to volunteer with Christmas in April to help others.
To learn more
For more information on Christmas in April, including how to volunteer for this year's event on April 24, call Mary Ann Chasen at 301-863-2905 or e-mail mary.chasen@christmasinaprilsmc.org.
