DATE: Friday, May 2, 1997                   TAG: 9705010189

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY SUSAN SMITH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  183 lines

OPEN HEART OPERATION NEW AREA-WIDE EMPHASIS DOESN'T DULL THE ENTHUSIASM FOR CHESAPEAKE-BORN CLEAN-UP AND PAINT PROJECT.

GERTIE LILLIE, 99, was curious as she watched busy painters and gardeners swarm about her home on Saturday. She knew her South Norfolk residence, built by her father, was in need of repairs and a serious paint job. But all these workers. What was going on?

``I just can't believe it.'' Lillie kept repeating. ``You mean I don't have to pay for this?''

Madora MacDonald, 86, had the same thoughts.

``I've been praying for help,'' said MacDonald of Indian River. ``But I never thought I would get this kind of answer.''

Lillie and MacDonald echoed the questions and the disbelief of 23 other senior citizens as more than 1,500 volunteers showed how neighbors help neighbors during ``Paint Your Heart Out Hampton Roads'' day in Chesapeake.

This year the Chesapeake-born clean-up and paint project had spread to the other South Hampton Roads cities. More than 3,000 volunteers tackled repairs and paint projects for 64 low-income elderly homeowners.

This year as Suffolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach joined with Chesapeake and Norfolk in the Rotary Club sponsored work day, it became the largest, one-day, volunteer event in the history of Hampton Roads.

Rotarian Robert F. Ripley introduced paint day to Chesapeake in 1991 after seeing a similar activity in Florida.

The Chesapeake Rotary Club called on volunteer work teams from military groups, churches, businesses and civic organizations and on corporate and individual donors to help.

This year, the fix-it, clean-it, paint-it day, which took almost a year to plan, unfurled without a hitch.

Each home had an assigned Rotary coordinator, a team captain, and about 25 willing workers. After being fortified by a free McDonald's breakfast, they headed to the job sites.

Following close on their trail were the grounds crews. John Kemp had organized teams of master gardeners and truckloads of mulch, shrubs and flowers for each house. Armed with rakes, trimmers and mowers, more than 67 gardeners attacked lawns and left a trail of vinca, marigolds, geraniums and azaleas.

``All I know is I just believe God sent me help,'' said Mary Fonville, 79, as a Cox Communication team descended on her house with a job list, a truck load of donated supplies and enough enthusiasm to tackle the repairs and paint from her roof to her back lawn.

While the Cox crew swarmed over the house, Kerry Goldmeyer and her gardeners buzzed the overgrown yard. When they finished, not a stray weed, leaf or limb could be found.

By mid-morning, a commercial dumpster was filled with lawn debris, rusted fencing, rotted trim boards and a discarded window. And the entire house, from awnings to porch steps, had a new coat of paint.

A.Z. Sharpe set up his company's scaffolding while Shannon Moshier, from the Cox Crew, painted the tool shed.

``I've been in business in Chesapeake for 17 years, and the community has been good to me,'' said Sharpe, a third-year veteran of paint day. ``This is my way of giving back.''

``I can't let a broken foot keep me from missing my sixth year with helping,'' said Christopher Carroll as he limped to replace an attic window and wood trim around the eaves of the house.

Several supplier sponsors and working teams also have been with the project from the beginning. Almost by habit and before paint day is over, they re-enlist.

Many teams also get a head start. For example, the Jefferson National Bank group sanded and caulked their home several days before the official paint day.

``We always give our house the spick-and-span treatment,'' bragged one spackled banker.

The Chesapeake Fire Department also gave each home a thorough check. Lt. James Forbes and Firefighter Specialist James Ramsey and Firefighter Delores Paulding from Station One checked each home on their list for fire hazards. They also offered safety tips and installed needed smoke detectors.

On inspection of Luther Wilson's home, Lionel Spicely and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brothers discovered a problem with the gas stove. They called Bill Hearring at command headquarters, and within hours, a new stove was delivered and installed.

``This is just about the best day that has ever happened to me,'' Wilson said.

The William E. Woods workers and the Woodards Mill Garden Club received some unexpected extra help.

``I need to do my part, too,'' said John Butts , 73, as he mowed his lawn while his house and gardens were being refurbished.

And there were many more good deeds and lots more help that made the day:

Tidewater Pest Control checked all 64 homes for pest or water damage and reported any problems, and Chanello's Pizza delivered more than 750 pizzas to all the Hampton Roads ``Paint Your Heart Out'' hungry workers and homeowners.

In Chesapeake, Virginia Door donated a garage door, and Duron Paints and Wallcoverings supplied gallons of paint. Chesapeake Siding-Roofing & Accessories contributed roofing materials, and Dudley Miles gave his time to fix a leaky roof. Randy Floyd of Floyd's Tree Service used his talents to remove a dead tree, and master gardener Debbie Hennessey's turned Ruth Fitzpatrick's jungle of trees and shrubs into a topiary garden.

Churchland Village Flower Shop gave a dozen red roses, and Dempsey James, of Mail Werks, provided gold pins or pocket knives as gifts for every homeowner. The flowers were delivered by Whitney Hausman, 16, and Rachel Moore, 14, of the Interact Club, a Rotary organization for students at Hickory High School.

By the end of the day, homes were showplaces, gardens were blooming and volunteers and homeowners were new friends.

``But I still just can't believe my eyes,'' said Lillie as she held her roses and her gold pin and checked out her house from the new paint job to the flowers around the birdbath.

``Who would have ever thought so many people cared about me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos including color cover by GARY C. KNAPP

Tim Wright, left, of Chesapeake, guides a compressor hose for

painter Clutch Cloverdale of Chesapeake, while Carter McDowell of

Virginia Beach steadies the ladder.

Snapshots courtesy of Paint Your Heart Out Chesapeake

The Virginia Power team builds up a trash pile at the home of Mary

MacDonald.

The McDonald's team swarms on the brick house of Thelma Marraur.

Cathy Irvin of Virginia Beach and Mike Kildow of Chesapeake paint

the trim on the South Norfolk home of Mary Fonville. Their Cox

Communications team tackled repairs from the roof to the back lawn.

``All I know is I just believe God sent me help,'' said Mary

Fonville, 79.

``I need to do my part, too,'' said John Butts, 73, as he mowed his

lawn.

``I've been praying for help. But I never thought I would get this

kind of answer,'' said Madora MacDonald.

Volunteers from Oak Grove United Methodist Church work on the home

of Rufus White.

A volunteer from William E. Wood & Associates paints the

wrought-iron rail on John Butt's home.

Graphic

TEAMWORK

VOLUNTEER TEAMS

Chesapeake Public Works

Cox Communications

Crestar Bank

Great Bridge Lions Club

Great Bridge Rotary Club

Great Bridge Sertoma Club

Greenbrier Presbyterian Church

GTE

HC-6 Chargers

Household Credit Services

Jefferson National Bank

KAPPA ALPHA PSI Fraternity

McDonald's

NationsBank N.A.

Oak Grove United Methodist Church

Resolute AFDM-10

Signet Bank/NSU Business School

South Norfolk Ruritan Club

VC-6 Firebees

First Coastal Bank

Virginia Power-Chesapeake

WCMS-FM 100

William E. Wood & Associates

Womble Realty

WVEC-TV 13

PLATINUM SPONSORS (donations of $7,500 or more)

Adams Outdoor Advertising

Bennette Paint Manufacturing

Cox Communication

Chanello's Pizza

Crestar Bank

Hoffman Beverage/Budweiser

McDonald's

WCMS-FM 100

WVEC-TV

Z104-FM

GOLDEN HEART SPONSORS (donations of $5,000 or more)

City of Chesapeake

Norfolk Southern

Sentara

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