Chula Vista resident Emerald Randolph saw the good Christmas in April was doing for the National City community and wanted to make the same difference for homeowners in Chula Vista.
So Randolph started Christmas in October more than a decade ago, an annual event where community volunteers repair, refurbish and restore homes of low income seniors, disabled, veterans and widows.
“I thought it was a good idea that Chula Vista had a similar program,” she said.
Randolph said she couldn’t believe the program will be in its 16th year when it works on repairing this year’s homes on Saturday, Oct. 10.
“When we started it, I had hope it (would) last forever because it makes a difference in the city,” she said. “Every house we fix upgrades a street in that little local neighborhood.”
Christmas in October volunteers repair about five to nine homes a year. The homes that will get worked on this year are at: 418 Corte Maria Ave., 1330 Myra Court, 1094 Oaklawn Ave., 920 Wayne Ave. and 4825 Bram Ave. in Bonita
To be selected homeowners must submit an application with copies of income tax filings for the past two years and two month’s worth of bank statements, as well as a copy of their homeowner’s insurance. Randolph said these documents are to verify that the applicants are in fact low income and in need of home improvements.
“Throughout the years we’ve run into that (scams), so we try to avoid it to start out with,” she said.
Christmas in October volunteers include the Chula Vista Fire Department, UTC Aerospace Systems, which gives money and help with home repairs and the Rotary clubs of Bonita and Chula Vista. Lowe’s Home Improvement sponsors a home and the Bonita Kiwanis also sends volunteers.
Randolph said the event is never short of volunteers, drawing about 175 to 200 volunteers a year.
“I always tell the volunteers and the house captains that they work miracles every year because what they do is a miracle because the homeowners feel better about their house, it makes the neighbors feel better when they walk by a house with the yard cleaned up,” she said.
Volunteers do an array of things such as fixing roofs, cleaning up front and back yards, painting, tearing down things that aren’t useful or modern.
“The people we help are not capable of doing these things on their own,” Randolph said. “And to have all these people they don’t know come in to work hard on rehabbing their house is a wonderful gift. It doesn’t cost them anything and they end up with a home they can be proud of.”
